


Senseless, Book Two - The Team

by FeugoFox42



Series: Senseless [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Adventure, Drama, F/F, F/M, Family, Fluff, Humor, Lewd-Lite, Multi, Mystery, One Scene of Intense Violence, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-05-31 02:11:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 41
Words: 157,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19416340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeugoFox42/pseuds/FeugoFox42
Summary: Fully established and in their final year at Beacon, Team CFVYN are raring to make this last year memorable. But the past always catches up, and now they must face what time has brought back to the fray.Set in an AU where Beacon never fell, and CRME's goals are set a little lower than you're normally used to.





	1. Five Fourths

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter starts at the beginning of Team CFVYN's fourth and final year at Beacon, roughly 15 months after the end of Book One.

**KEY:**

"Speech"  
_Thought_  
{" _Sign Language_ "}  
_~Thought Talking~_  
**Scroll message**  
_*Scroll call*_

* * *

"Well, Ms Russet, do you know why we have called you here today?"

Ozpin, as per usual, was sitting in his chair, mug off to his right. His fingers were interlocked in front of his face, elbows resting on the desk. Despite the friendly way he spoke to you, even as a Headmaster, Neo couldn't help but feel intimidated by the way he sat, even after all the time she'd spent here. That paled in comparison to how she felt when her eyes glanced to her left and saw Glynda Goodwitch standing beside him, arms folded and riding crop in hand. She honestly started to feel a little sick at seeing her there. Neo got on well with Professor Goodwitch, it's what happens when you both share a mutual interest in making others suffer and over exert themselves all while barely building up a sweat yourself, but that still didn't make the blonde Huntress any less scary. She focussed back on the man in the chair, gaining some form of control over her own body back, and proceeded to answer his question.

{" _Honestly?_ "} she signed, {" _no idea._ "}

"Excellent; your team has fulfilled the criteria for this final test, as I have been informed you have as well." Rather than answer with words, Neo simply cocked her head to one side. "Allow us to explain. As part of the final test at Beacon Academy, Professor Goodwitch and I, along with a few select teachers in the school, randomly select one team member from each of our Fourth Year Teams and perform a simple test on each of them as individuals as opposed to as a team, much like many of your written exams - which I must add I am thoroughly impressed with your results. Team leaders of course are the obvious exception to this random picking process, their briefings were to simply keep the rest of the team finding out who was being seen next and helping them achieve their goals."

"I am also impressed with your work." Glynda stepped forward and the mute unintentionally felt herself leaning back into the chair away from the ever advancing Goodwitch. "I may have only been here a few years in comparison to Professor Ozpin here, but in all that time have never seen someone so dedicated to their written exams as you."

{" _Well,_ "} the petite woman began with a shrug, {" _I didn't want to drag my team down in the future. I'm aware how it all works on graduation - each team member receives their own certificates and such, then the team as a whole is given a Tier of Expertise based on their collective grades._ "}

"It seems you are well versed in that knowledge."

{" _My brother graduated from Atlas over 10 years ago, it was more or less along those lines and I assumed it would be the same down here, even after all these years._ "}

"If the system isn't broken, Ms Russet," Ozpin began with a chuckle. He felt like she should finish the saying, but it was fairly obvious to all who knew of sayings what was coming next. "How much do you know of the Tier System we use?" Neo looked away in thought, trying to recall if anything sunk in about that when she was younger and was listening into General Ironwood at Vinnie's year's Graduation. Naturally she was going to be there, but not with her family - for obvious reasons. Instead, she stole someone's uniform and stood in as a guard to the ceremony. No one noticed her coming in or going out, just how she liked it, but she could never shake the sadness that came with not being with them as he got his award. After realising that she'd only thought about what she had done that day rather than specific aspects about it, she held her thumb and forefinger out and held them so close together they might have well been touching, all with a squint - Universal Sign for "A little bit".

"The Tier System is what we use to rank each of our student teams come the end of their Third Year and progressing into their Fourth and Final Year." Goodwitch opened the large window behind Ozpin's desk as she spoke, then came back and sat on the edge of the desk, a very informal move on her part that took Neo aback slightly ever so slightly, but Ozpin was clearly unfazed by it all, no doubt having seen her do this many times before. "There are Four Tiers for teams upon graduation. Based on your joining time and having originally missed nearly two academic years' worth of exams and assignments, Team CFVYN would have been destined to fall either in the C Tier or, at best, B Tier of Huntsmen and Huntress Teams, based off of exam grades alone and the bare minimum of Field Assessments assigned. These Tiers get you recognition for any and all missions in the big wide world, B Tiers naturally being slightly more dangerous but equally reaping bigger rewards more often than not."

"Yes, it seems that there are still those who never quite understand the severity of the tasks they ask of Huntsmen, offering sub-C Tier rewards for nearer high-B / low-A Tier tasks." The green clad man sighed and took a sip from his cup.

 _I wonder what our Nuckelavee takedown would have classed as,_ Neo thought to herself as Professor Goodwitch took over speaking again.

"However, you have gone above and beyond for your team, that much is clear. You have attended so many classes in your own time to the point we thought it was bordering on unhealthy for you. And yet you soldiered on through and did those tasks as well as the ones for your own Year, even attending the First and Second Year classes and exams as well. But most impressively, you managed very respectable grades on all of them. Taking all of that into consideration, you've actually opened up the second and first Tiers again for your team." Neo's eyes blinked pink in amazement; there was a good chance to make everything good for the team. She didn't want to explain to her Headmaster and his deputy though how she was using less than legal/safe methods of Dust usage to speed up her natural body clock to do an hour's worth of studying in less than ten minutes. She had refined that Dust combo usage over the past year and a bit with proper tutelage and constant access to high grade equipment. 

"A Tier Huntsmen Teams are sent on missions we would personally believe to be far too dangerous even for a fully graduated team of Huntsmen in any of the lower Tiers. Then, there are the S Tier Teams." The student found herself leaning in awestruck at the prospect. "There are very strict criteria for becoming an S Tier Team in my school. First, all students in the team must perform to the highest levels in their written exams, earning at least Merited Passes on all major written tests. Whilst there were a few times your teammates were slipping, everyone managed to Merit all their exams; including this last one, which you passed with flying colours. Teams must also work well as a collective unit, almost blending into one another to become one whole rather than four - or in your case, five - parts. They must go above and beyond their call of duty in their 3 years under my tutelage, accepting more missions than required; I don't think I need to tell you how well you've been doing at that. Finally, they must finish within the top 5 teams in the year. From them, the 2 teams who I deem worthy from that group of people become S Tier Teams."

"The rewards for completing S Tier Missions is significantly higher than the other Tiers; one person's share in an S-Tier Mission could be the same reward for everyone in a C Class Team."

{" _Wow, that's a lot of Lien._ "}

"Quite. Now, Team CFVYN is an exceptional case, what with there being 5 of you in the team." A brief amount of fear came across Neo's face, something the Headmaster caught and simply laughed it off. "Oh come now Orchid, would I call you in here on your own if not for the fact that what I was saying would be positive?" After Neo had come back to start attending Beacon nearly 15 months ago, her team had come to an agreement among themselves that starting Beacon was another chance at life for her, so she should take that opportunity and start anew as well. They came to blows over that, but not for the reasons Team CFVY thought. Neo was not willing to start her life over completely, but she mentioned how she would much rather give an old life a second chance. There was no hesitation on their part and they all seemed thrilled at the prospect. While everyone still called her by her nickname - the name they had gotten used to hearing and hearing about and was even part of the quintet's new team name - all official records of her at the school officially stated her as Orchid Russet once more. In her own 'words' (because her speech did not miraculously reappear in the time after she had started), when asked why she thought about going back to Orchid instead of becoming someone new, her response was,

" _This was the life that Orchid never had; friends, school, something to do, something to strive for. Why would I waste this chance, why smack away the olive branch extended in my direction? What would make me want to give something like this to a new personality that may never deserve it in the end._ _ **Neo**_ _honestly didn't deserve the love and attention you give. Orchid did... Orchid_ _ **does**_ _. So that's what she's getting._ " The mute smiled internally at the memory, something she looked back on as the anchor point to her new life. It was when she recognised herself as the girl she was born as once more.

"No," Ozpin continued, having not be listening to her inner conversation with herself (though she could never be sure enough this him,) "I asked you to come here so that Professor Goodwitch and I could personally congratulate you on your successful pass of Beacon's written examinations." He stood up, leaned across the table and extended an arm forward, which Neo shook almost instantly.

"There was another reason, and that was simply to allow you to pick your mission for the team." As her hands started to raise to reply, Goodwitch continued before Neo got a chance. "Now I am well aware that this is very much unorthodox, but _someone_ likes breaking the rules a lot." Both women's eyes shifted and stayed focussed on the man in the room, who shot a knowing smile to his co-worker as he sipped his drink again. " _All of us_ in the room know that it is normally common practice for the Team Leader to choose a mission for the team, then have them deliver that information to the team and then return to us with the team's response." The sarcasm coming out of Professor Goodwitch was very amusing to Neo, especially considering how alike the two women were when they took a long hard look at themselves.

"But," the Headmaster said, swapping speaking roles with his colleague, "as mentioned before, I wanted you to pick the first mission for Team CFVYN." Ozpin stood up and walked over to two boards, their electronic blue displays lighting up as they approached, gesturing for Neo to join him over there. Glynda remained where she was, shifting ever so slightly to better view the interaction. Neo turned back to look at her, and the Huntress nodded her head twice. The small woman smiled, then turned her attention back to her Headmaster. "I will also mention that you have complete free reign over the choices; no other team has been presented with the list yet." Neo looked up and down the list, viewing all the options available to her... well, to CFVYN.

There were 'Search & Destroy' Missions, they sounded fun and she seemed to be drawn to them a fair bit; 'Border Patrols', not as fun but they required a large portion of time to complete, so they could have a bit of fun with that; that 'Recon' Mission sounded interesting, but she wasn't too sure if that'd be to everyone's liking; and these were just on the first board. She swapped her gaze to the second board, and was slightly disappointed when the number of options was vastly limited in comparison to the first board. "That's because these aren't your average missions, Ms Russet. These are A Tier Missions." Freaked out by the fact he either heard her thoughts on the matter or guessed by pure chance (she was inclined to think the former), Neo took a longer and harder look at the second board. "I will say that each team may only get the opportunity to undertake one of these A Tier Missions in their final year, so this moment here is how you will get of take advantage of a clean slate." Neo seemed once again drawn to an S&D Mission, but the fact it was an A Tier S&D Mission piqued her interest for long enough. She selected the second A Tier 'Search & Destroy' Mission on the list, claiming it for Team CFVYN.

A slightly disappointed grunt came for her left as Ozpin stood there looking a little glum at her choice. She went to go change it to not upset but he raised his hand in protest. "Orchid, please, don't change it. It's... only my stomach playing up. I had something that seems to be disagreeing with it at the moment." Sceptical but compliant with his request, she lowered her arm and sent the information to her Scroll. As it was being transferred to her Scroll, she sent a message out to the rest of the team.

**Neo:  
_Where is everybody at the moment?_**

Once everything was sent over, Neo returned to the desk and went to sit down. "Don't bother sitting down again Orchid," Professor Goodwitch stated, "you're done here now. Return to your team with the information, and we expect to see you after it is all done." With a slight bow of thanks, she turned to walk off to one side of the room.

"Ms Russet?" Only partially turning around and glancing over her shoulder at the teachers, Ozpin smiled. "Good luck, not that I think you'll need it." She smiled back, then took up a stance and began running at the adults, parasol at the ready. She leapt towards them, then dived through the open window behind. With a couple of graceful flips, she righted herself and opened her parasol, her descent slowing instantly as she glided her way back towards Beacon's main buildings. She looked behind her again and waved at them as she drifted down to the ground. Once the pair were certain she was on her way down and that they wouldn't be interrupted by anyone else, Ozpin reached into his pocket and pulled out a 50 Lien Note and handed it to Goodwitch, who smugly took her winnings from her friend.

"I told you that's what she'd go for. You need to trust me more on this sort of thing."

"Glynda, I trust you completely; I just thought the other things may have taken her fancy more than that one."

"Well, this 50 Lien certainly seems to say who was right and who was wrong."

"Thank you Glynda..." he replied. She said no more, knowing she'd won both parts of their bet and that conversation. The pair had bet on what task set they'd thought Neo would choose; Ozpin took 'Rescue' Missions and Glynda, based on her winnings, clearly took 'S&D' Missions; but there was a second bet they had. Whilst she'd never let Ozpin in on the secret, she had shared this second little betting information with the student in question. It was very simple, they bet on whether Neo would leave via the window or the elevator. Neo wanted her favourite teacher to win, so she said she'd help any way she could. They had come to an agreement that if Glynda opened the window the bet was on. Two nods from her meant she had bet on her leaving via the window. An open window and a shake of the head or no physical acknowledgement from the Huntress and Neo was to exit the office in the normal manner. Using their little method, Professor Goodwitch had only lost twice, that was when communication on each party's parts went wrong. A rare smile fell across the riding crop wielder's face.

* * *

Fresh-faced new First Years had their gazes pointed skyward at the sight of another student gliding towards the floor on an ice cream themed parasol. Neo could even make out a couple of them saying, "If that's how crazy our first day is, imagine what the rest of our time here's is gonna be like!" Such enthusiasm... they had yet to feel the relentless torture that could be Goodwitch's Combat Class, or Port's near endless ramblings about his time fighting Grimm, a back catalogue of stories so grand in scope it put his silver moustache to shame that could be refreshed now they were falling on new ears, or worst of all Professor Gale's Dust Workshops. Admittedly, they don't sound bad at first, but when you're told that the class is held two storeys underground in a bunker specifically designed by Atlas Scientists and Architects to withstand a blast of 10,000 freshly mined and unrefined Shards of Fire Dust exploding simultaneously at the front door of the "classroom" - if that's what you wanted to call it - that is situated well away from the rest of the main building that was Beacon Academy, then you start getting a little bit nervous. When you see Professor Gale as well, then you start to panic. Neo hoped their enthusiasm wouldn't go, but she knew that it couldn't last for all four years here... that said, Ruby was doing magnificently and was still as enthusiastic as ever about basically everything to do with the school.

As she approached the ground, her Scroll pinged a message. With her forward momentum dying down slightly, she took out her device and looked at the new message she'd received. Turns out she'd received another one a little while ago, but she was most likely just jumping out of the window when she got that one, hence why she didn't notice it immediately.

**_2 Unread Messages_ **

**Yatsu:  
_I am at the Gym with Velvet, we have just finished a round of training and were about to for another one, but if you need us now we can postpone._**

**Coco:  
_Chilling out in the dorm, why'd you ask?_**

Her reply to Team Chat was as quick and to the point as it needed to be, sending it as she touched down, collapsing the parasol to carry it a little easier.

**Neo:  
_Team Meeting, fairly urgent. Any idea where Fox is?_ **

Coco was very obviously not doing anything of importance, because her response was next to instant.

**Coco:  
He went with young Ruby Rose to the Service Shop on site. She seems to know his weapon better than anyone else.**

**I mean his weapon, not his "weapon" ;)**

**Neo:  
_Jealous Coco? :p_**

**Coco:  
_As if!_**

_**Where'd you want the meeting Neo?** _

**Neo:  
_Shall we say near the Service Shop? That way we won't need to go searching for Fox._**

**Coco:  
_Sounds good, I'll be there as soon as. Might bring my weapon too._ **

Slightly late to the party but welcome all the same, Yatsuhashi replied to all of their conversation in a single message.

**Yatsu:  
_Please keep the penis (or lack thereof) envy out of this. Velvet and I shall have a quick warm down and we shall join you there._ **

She loved her team, there was no denying that. A little weird at times. But then again, what team wasn't?


	2. Debatable Service

Beacon Service Shop was a little building that most First Years seemed to pass so often and yet never look inside it. It saved a lot of time having a store like this on campus, instead of having to constantly trek down to Vale to get the service shop there. In all fairness, the one in Vale was bigger, but this one was closer - each student who knew about the Beacon Service Shop took it as they needed.

Despite having probably the single most complicated weapon at Beacon, Ruby's mechanisms were all made of very basic parts that the Beacon store carried. The only thing that she maybe needed to head into Vale for were the unique aspects like her spiked pommel, the spiked tip to her blades... basically, all the spikey bits. Her semi-frequent trips to the store made her such a regular customer there that they had almost stopped treating her like a customer and more like a member of staff. Almost. She had access to basically everything in the store save the employee lounge, keys to open up shop and a till access code. So it was no surprise to anyone when Neo walked in and saw Ruby with a bunch of tools around her working at one of the employee desks on Fox's weapon, Sharp Retribution, the boy in question sitting by her and talking.

The scythe wielder wore a pair of practical and hard-wearing black trousers with a deep grey, near enough black, tank top and a pair of thick working gloves, but naturally her trademark cloak wasn't too far away - wrapped round her waist. Her arms, whilst covered in oil, were on show, showcasing her extremely well-toned muscles. She hadn't stopped training since she'd got here and as such she'd only gotten stronger. Working with a giant scythe would do that. She'd also grown a little more now, having had a second growth spurt halfway through her second year. Now, she stood about shoulder to shoulder with her Faunus teammate, frustrating her platinum haired partner greatly, and her weapon was only a few inches taller than her now. She was drawn from her work when she heard the distinct sound of the bell ringing. Neo remembered hearing the bell ring, hearing Ruby's faint gasp from across the shop, then a mass of red glomping her in a hug that threw her to the floor.

"NEO!" she cried, her legs flailing about in the air as she lay on top of the older yet shorter woman, who at this point was turning slightly blue due to the weight on top of her, and the fact all the air in her lungs had been forcefully expelled from her before she hit the floor. "How are- eek!" Luckily, Ruby noticed and jumped off the Fourth Year student, her silent gasps filling the overzealous 17-year-old with both relief and embarrassment. "Sorry..."

{" _Don't be. Nearly everyone I've been with has been on the bottom, so you're a rare exception._ "} Neo finished signing with a wink at the hooded brunette, who started turning a shade of pink that matched Neo's hair. {" _You, and a certain scarred boyfriend of mine._ "} On cue, Fox walked up and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her off the ground and planting a kiss on her forehead as he did so. ~ _How's it all going hun?_ ~

"Not too bad actually. I have no idea how her mind comes up with these crazy ideas, but they always work perfectly at that still amazes me to this day." He turned to speak to Ruby again and was going to finish there, but he smirked and shot his girlfriend another look. "Kind of like you." The mute buried her head into his chest with a smile on her face. "Is it alright if I shoot off Rubes?"

"Of course it is. Team Meetings are important. I'll do my best to get as much done on here as I can before you get back." Nodding in appreciation, Fox lead Neo out of the shop and across the way to sit opposite on the grass outside.

"Before you ask, I read the messages."

~ _I figured,_ ~ she replied, gesturing the outside world, ~ _hence why we're outside now on your request rather than mine, and how Ruby knew we were having a team meeting._ ~

"Well, I saw the messages saying that you were coming to meet up here, so I decided that I'd wait until someone showed up, then wait with them until we're all here." He pulled her closer to his side, resting his head on her shoulder. "And I'm glad it was you first. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit worried when you were called to speak with Ozpin and Goodwitch."

~ _Why? What's there to worry about?_ ~ She glanced at him, trying to suss how he was feeling through his eyes and facial expression. It wasn't working, so it looks like it'd be the old-fashioned method instead. ~ _Are you worried about me?_ ~

"Of course I am Ni." Realising that he basically snapped at her - judging from his own reaction to her eyes shifting to vanilla white - he reigned himself in and tried again, calmer this time. "Yes. You're my girlfriend, have been for about 15 months now, and even now I worry about you."

~ _And so why were you stressing about my mini-meeting with the Head Honchos?_ ~

After a brief chuckle, Fox answered. "Honestly? I was scared they were going to tell you 'You're not good enough, leave Beacon at once!', or words similar to that."

~ _No. No, it was the opposite actually._ ~

"Really? That's great Ni."

~ _I know! But let's wait until everyone's here, then I can tell them all at once, if you don't mind waiting. I can always tell you and the-_ ~ The kiss seemed to answer her question as it silenced her thoughts. _Waiting it is then,_ she joked to herself, smiling once again and sitting with him until their five-piece team had assembled.

After 10 minutes Coco rocked up carrying her weapon, intent on heading into the shop after they were done to get it checked over. Yatsuhashi and Velvet arrived a few minutes after, approaching the trio mid-conversation.

"...I'm just saying, none of us have ever seen him fight nor heard stories of him fighting; he's a wild card if ever there was one."

" _I dunno Coco..._ "

"Oh, come on!" The dual haired team leader noticed the tank and mage approaching, then skipped the introductions and went straight into business... though not the business they'd turned up for, but the completely unrelated business they were discussing upon their arrival. "Guys, help me out here." Rabbit ears drooped ever so slightly at the prospect, but she listened nonetheless - it was darn near impossible _not_ to listen with those things on your head. "Who'd win in a fight amongst all the teachers. My Lien would be on Ozpin." Pride oozed from her voice as she spoke, as if she knew from the get go that she was going to win.

{" _I_ _, on the other hand, think that Goodwitch has the fight in the bag._ "} The fashionista scoffed at the ice cream themed girl's assurance in herself.

"You're just saying that because you're so alike that you'd be betraying your buddy by not picking her." Neo's eyes shot to Coco aggressively, her irises switching colours so that pink and brown aligned with her hair.

{" _The woman has literally stopped bullets mid-flight, tossed Beowolves and Ursa off to the side like they were mere inconveniences to her and, if you remember correctly, during the last week of our second year,_ _five_ _Fourth Year student teams got together and attacked her all at once, and she thoroughly kicked their asses. 20-vs-1 and she still came out victorious. How could you_ _not_ _put money on her?_ "}

"Brute force, maybe she has them beat," Fox chimed in, "but there is always strategy, there always needs to be a plan. And who is master of the plan at Beacon? Port." They tried to remain impartial, they really did, but Velvet and Yatsuhashi couldn't hold it in anymore and they started laughing. "Really?" The other two girls joined in, the smallest and oldest of the group laughing silently. " _Really?_ Why don't you believe me?"

{" _Give a reason we should, pretty boy._ "} Neo loved teasing him, seeing him all worked up was still very cute to her, even after all this time of dating. With a clearing of his throat, the copper haired young man listed off his reasons.

"Well, Professor Port is a Huntsman, so-"

"As are, slash were, the rest of them," Yatsuhashi reminded him, his first words in the discussion, if you didn't count laughter as words.

"- _soooo,_ that means he has had plenty of experience in battle. Unlike the rest of the Huntsmen-turned-teachers, he specialised afterwards in tactics. Exploiting weak spots of Grimm, analysing their movements and patterns of attack and using that knowledge to his advantage. He spent so much time around Grimm, he probably knew them better than they could knew themselves. And he's spent just as much time around them as he has his colleagues. There's a good chance he's prepared for a fight like that, and being prepared is half the battle won." He didn't feel like he was convincing anyone, so he decided to humour himself. "Failing that, he could always talk them to death."

"Fox, sweetie," Velvet said in probably the single most patronising voice she could unintentionally muster, "I don't want to sound patronising but Port's... old. He's slow. And his moustache and eyebrows cover most of his face." Okay, he really didn't convince anyone at all. "You want someone who is the exact opposite of Port to win this battle." Fox's eyes widened immediately, aware exactly where their Faunus teammate's mind had segued to.

"Is that who you're putting forward for this hypothetical fight?" he asked in a mixture of disbelief and uncertainty - he needed to hear her say it with her own mouth else his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Yes, Doctor Oobleck would be so all over the place, there's no way anyone else could win."

"You're crazy."

Neo raised her eyebrows at the statement. ~ _You suggested Professor Peter "I-Can-Bore-people-to Death-with-Tales-of-My-Youth" Port._ ~

~ _Minor details._ ~

"Listen, I'd like to see you try hitting something that's travelling so fast they literally either leave afterimages of themselves in their immediate wake or appear to stretch. And he could bore people to death too, y'know. More convincingly as well, I might add."

"Yeah, other normal people like you or me." Coco was intent on destroying both of their hopes now. "These are colleagues, people they've worked with for years. The stories must have grown old, and they're used to both the high speed ramblings of Doctor Oobleck and the slow plods of Port."

{" _So what, does that mean Ozpin will cryptic them half to death, then walk away and let them struggle until they either_ _do_ _find a way out or die horribly trying?_ "}

"...In all this time, we haven't asked for Yatsu's opinion." Four pairs of eyes now looked at him, none of which fazed him. There was a slight hint of hesitation when Fox looked at him, but that's mostly because he didn't want to feel like Fox had been betrayed by his own partner for not siding with him. But then again, any of his teammates might have felt that same way.

 _Oh well, in for a penny._ "Professor Gale." No one said anything for a long while. In their defence, they were trying to figure out why on Remnant their most level-headed and easily the sanest friend they had suggested Professor Gale would win in a fight between the teachers.

"Yatsu, are you alright?"

"I am perfectly fine Velvet. Why do you ask?"

"'Why'd she ask'?" The gunner was dumbfounded at his response. "Yatsu, rather than suggest a teacher who is capable in a fight, or at least has some semblance of fighting skill, you decided to pick Dorothy Gale; a teacher who most of the student body here knows, or will soon find out, is certified crazy, and spends so much time in her lab that I'm not even sure she exists in a physical form outside of that place." The tank nodded his head, understanding her scepticism at his choice. Everyone else seemed to share that view. But he had his reasons.

"So because none of us have actually seen her outside of her workshop, we don't know what she would be like in the battlefield. And I'm no expert, but her bracelets seem to hold a lot of Dust for a decorative piece of jewellery, and I've never seen anyone - save those highly into their fashion - with such intricately designed Dust-woven materials in their outfits. Whatever her weapon is, there is no doubt it's a Dust heavy weapon. And, she is a _Dust_ teacher; there is a very high chance that she knows more about Dust than she ever lets on, so she would have aces up her sleeves for every occasion. Remember that lesson last year with Port and Goodwitch and that Boarbatusk? She seemed pretty skilled." Scepticism turned to annoyance as his reasoning sounded more and more convincing. The group's attention was broken with a single loud clap from Neo.

{" _That's not what we're here for, though I am very happy to continue with this later._ "} The mute was pretty sure she heard Coco sigh in relief. {" _I went to see Ozpin and Goodwitch, as you all know._ "}

"How did it go Neo?" the Faunus asked.

{" _Really well. They commended me for my attendance to the First and Second Year lessons and exams, even congratulated me for completing them to a great standard. Then they mentioned the Team Tiers._ "} Neo knew where the conversation was heading. Everyone else did not, and that's what worried them. They'd tried their hardest during their first year and a half at Beacon to be the best team in their year, and while taking Neo in was something they have not regretted, they knew that chances of achieving that goal would all but disappear - this was most likely going to prove it. {" _They mentioned that 'When you started, you were destined to be C Tier, low B Tier at best.' I never wanted to drag you down, which is why I went to First Year and Second Year classes. Now, with everything I've done for the team and myself, the A Tier is easily within reach and we're even in with a chance to be one of the S Tier Teams too!_ "} Four different shades of brown eyes all lit up at the news.

"That's great Neo!" Coco practically squealed, initiating the team hug. "You're the best ex-psychopath a girl could want in her life!" A silent laugh came from the girl, showing her appreciation for the comment. She broke from the hug to continue.

{" _And, as I was there, they offered me first dibs on the missions for our Fourth Year. So, I took one of the A Tier S &D Missions._"} Waving her Scroll, she opened up the document that housed the mission brief and magnified so that the whole team could see it. " _I think you'll like this one._ "

**_MISSION_ ** **_TYPE: Search and Destroy_ **

"Ah, you know us so well Neo."

**_MISSION_ ** **_TIER: A Tier_ **

"That's going to be so good if we can keep picking these ones."

{" _Sorry Coco, but we're only allowed one per Full Term, I believe. It might even only be one for the whole year._ "}

"Then why'd you blow our load at the first opportunity?"

"Coco..."

"What's up hunny-bun? Don't like the innuendos?"

"It's not the innuendos; Neo had a choice, this was her choice. Don't chastise her for it."

**_LOCATION: 'The Four Season Springs' Resort, South-Eastern Vale_ **

Coco shot a glance at Neo, who noticed and promptly avoided all eye contact with her for the remainder of the brief.

"I used to go past there a lot when I was younger."

"How did you know that? You were blind."

"Having your sibling screaming 'Four Season Springs! Can we go Mommy? Pleeeaaassseee?' every time you pass kind of gives the game away."

**_REWARD: 120,000 Lien, plus a BEP stay at The Resort_ **

"Wonder what BEP stands for?"

"It says at the bottom that BEP stands for Basic Expenses Paid; so that's our Room, our Main Meals, and a Pass for access to the Resort."

"Neat."

{" _Are you both going to ignore that the Reward is 120,000 Lien?!_ "}

**_BRIEF: Staff at The Resort have noticed a decline in customers due to unexpected Grimm activity in the surrounding area. The frequency of the creatures' appearances makes them believe that there are a small few Grimm nests nearby, perhaps even more. There are reports of large quantities of Alpha Grimm, suggesting at least two Alpha nests. Also, an as-yet undocumented water-based Grimm is attacking guests upon entering the 'Summer Spirit' Spring, supposedly killing them._ **

**_\- Eliminate Grimm in the nearby area (Resort Grounds, plus 2.5km radius)_ **

**_\- Locate and destroy any Grimm nests, prioritising Alpha nests._ **

**_\- Eliminate water-based Grimm in 'Summer Spirit'_ **

**_' ' - Document if possible (photographs, detailed accounts of attacks, behaviour, etc.)_ **

"Wow, it's going to be like a regular holiday Ni; hope your photography skills haven't been getting rusty."

**_TIME FRAME: 4 weeks_ **

**_3 weeks for the Mission, 1 week relaxation week; else 4 weeks_ **

"That's incentive if ever I've seen it to get a mission done quick."

**_CONTACT: Maron Chive, Head Receptionist at 'Four Season Springs'._ **

Sliding her Scroll into her pocket after they'd finished their briefing, Neo took a forceful - yet highly unnecessary - breath.

{" _What are people's thought? Just so you know, it's all subject to change, and we will be assigned a few low C Tier Missions to balance out everything_ _if_ _we decide to do this one._ "}

"You've got my vote, Ni." Fox shot her a smile, reassuring her.

"I am personally up for it," Yatsuhashi added, his deep voice carrying across the air to their ears in a way that filled them with confidence. Their Faunus teammate nodded, confirming that she was willing to take the mission. Her partner and the team leader of CFVYN spoke last.

"You know how to pick 'em Neo. The mission was a good choice too." The wink that came from behind lowered sunglasses brought a healthy blush to the mute's face. Emotions came so much easier to her now, ever since she started dating Fox and ever since she'd joined Beacon. There was no need for her to hide all her emotions away and only let them surface when she had an outlet to express herself. In the year and a bit she'd been with them, she became a new person to them. But to her, she'd become her old self once again; she became Orchid Russet. "When'd we need to confirm we want this one?" The eyes of Neo blinked to brown as she racked her brain for a few moments in an effort to remember if Ozpin had given a date. Upon due consideration, no. No, he had not.

{" _Not a clue. But the sooner, the better._ "}

"Good. You're not going anywhere, are you Velv?" The bunny shook her head. "Okay, then I'm going to trust you with this again, alright? I'll go with Neo to confirm our mission, you three can head back to the shop until we're done. She just needs a routine check-up hun." Handing over her weapon to anyone normally made Coco throw a bit of a tantrum, despite the fact she was their leader. But with Velvet, and the rest of the team to a lesser extent, she didn't worry about them doing anything she'd disapprove of.

{" _We'll see you as soon as we're done._ "} The fashionista wrapped her arm around the mute's waist and started walking off back to the Tower, the latter shooting her boyfriend a friendly smile and blowing a kiss his way. ~ _Before I forget Fox,_ ~

' _Yeah?_ '

~ _Once she's done with your weapons, tell Ruby the new First Years have arrived._ ~ She caught the beginnings of another smile as she and Coco rounded a corner out of one another's view. Neo and Fox had been hanging around with Team RWBY a little more over the break; Yang wanted to spar with Fox more and more to improve both of their skills with their gauntlet weapons. The blonde brawler wasn't bad with her Ember Celica, but at times she let her temper get the better of her and she became reckless. Fox sparred with her to improve their melee skill with the weapons and his ranged attacks then afterwards, just because she was there, Neo often fought Yang to test her skills against someone who was much nimbler than she was. Neo also used the opportunity to aggravate the girl into getting fuelled with rage, then trying to get her to focus the anger to better herself in the fight, rather than let it explode outwards and all the waste all the time they'd sunk into training. It was safe to say that it was most definitely paying off, Neo was often given a run for her money now against Yang; she'd even been hit a few times hard enough to warrant throwing the rest of the fight to recover.

Fox likewise fought against Blake, because where Yang went Blake was sure to be seen close behind. Fox was fast, faster than Blake even, but she was slippery. Her semblance made it difficult to know when he was fighting the raven haired girl herself, or a Shadow Clone. But that kept him on his toes, so he wasn't going to complain.

There were times when the now-Fourth Year couple paid a visit to the younger two members as well. Ice blue and heterochromatic eyes often ended up buried in textbooks whenever they met up, Weiss taking every chance to learn about things that she herself had yet to cover in classes for a little head start on her peers. As such, she'd also studied very basic Sign Language to communicate better with Neo, just so she could understand her without her constantly having to type up or write down what she said. The younger two in each couple always looked at their partners in wonder, thinking out loud to the other on multiple occasions in nothing more than whispers at how they could get along so well even though they both thought that these two would be the worst if left together - Weiss' insistence on following the rules by the book and Neo's past life of doing everything but - and yet every time they are proven so wrong.

Fox and Ruby would often be together working on his weapons, as she was the one who put together his new gauntlets so she knew the ins and outs of them in much better detail than he could at the moment. Ruby had almost completely reconstructed his weapons from the basics bit by bit. They were repurposed to include more practical guns in them, giving Fox a new and improved range like he had never had before. Ruby also included a mechanism in them so that the blades could extend out and act more like proper blades for slicing, almost like a Mantis. But the first thing she did, back before he and Neo went to Atlas the first time before her Uncle died, was to add a collapsible feature to them so that he didn't need to haul large, orange blades out in the open.

As she did all this (with Fox's somewhat limited help due to her tendency to be a little bit possessive over the weapons, despite them not being hers), the pair talked. In their conversations, Ruby often mentioned how this year was going to be exciting for her as all her old friends from Signal that were coming to Beacon would be around and that meant she'd finally be older than someone in the school - she hated how weird it was seeing new people coming to the school you've been at for a year and they're already older than you. So, when Fox, Velvet and Yatsuhashi all returned to the shop, Ruby was clearly winding down her work on the copper haired boy's weapons.

"Hey guys, you took a while."

"Well, we were discussing... things..." When one of the scythe wielder's eyebrows shot up upon questioning the Faunus' choice of words, Yatsuhashi took it upon himself to tell her straight.

"The five of us ended up arguing over which teacher would win in a fight." His two younger teammates shot him a look that made it seem like the information he so willing gave out was knowledge so precious it would kill everyone on the planet if another living soul found out. The giant's response on seeing their looks; a simple shrug.

"Oh, cool! Who'd you all pick? Wait, no! Don't tell me... actually, yeah, go ahead." As mouths opened to speak, Ruby jumped in once again. "No! I mean... urgh, just say something before I'm here all day..." Clearly, this was not a first occurrence for the just-as-bubbly-as-when-she-first-started Third Year.

"Well, there was no actual winner," Velvet admitted, seeming ever so slightly ashamed at the statement. "All five of us suggested someone different; Ozpin, Goodwitch, Port, Dr Oobleck, and Professor Gale. There's not mu-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Professor _Gale?_ "

"I know," Fox mentioned, riding off the seventeen year old's sure-fire uncertainty at her place in the runnings, "how can _she,_ of all people, face off against the likes of Professor Port, who we know for a fact has the experience and the battle know-how to best even professional Huntsmen still in their prime." Scepticism grew ever clearer on the face of the girl in red, frustrating the scarred boy to the point where the red flush of anger on his cheeks became ever noticeable even past his darker skin tone. "Really?!"

"My Dad talked about Port a bit before I started at Beacon, and even a bit whilst I'm still here when me and Yang go home for the holidays; he said how Port's as impressive in battle as his moustache isn't. Port doesn't fight, he hunts; sure, he hunts well, but he hunts Grimm - beings with no remorse, no strategy besides 'Run at them and hope'. Teachers are people with feelings and plans and I don't think he'd do well in a fight at all." Her Workbench Buddy (as Ruby so affectionately named them) slumped back in a huff, feeling let down and betrayed. "Sorry Fox..."

"So, who do you think _would_ win?" he snapped back at her, clearly in a bit of a huff.

"I mean, assuming we can't choice from anyone else because my answer would obviously be my Uncle Qrow because he's the best, I guess I'd be-" A sound echoed through the workshop, one that Ruby was all too familiar with. A Fire Dust explosion from the front of the school on someone's first day. _Oh yeah, the First Years are going to be here soon. Maybe they're already here. I can't wait to see them ag-_ This time, the sound was much louder and more powerful, strong enough to be felt through the floor. Acting on instinct, everyone in the shop grabbed the weapons they were all working on and left towards the sound. A third explosion brought them into a run, there's no way this was an accident.

This was an attack.


	3. Chequered Morals

Seeing all the First Years piling into the school from the airships brought a smile to Neo's face. There were few times that last year's First Years, now this year's Second Years (Gods, that's confusing) made her smile, in part due to the fact that they were just annoying most of the time, particularly to someone nearly 10 years older than them. Their enthusiasm was unmatched though; always eager to learn, eager to progress and better themselves. The lessons she'd had with them every now and again were purely business at the start, but as time went on she relaxed in them, to the point some even became somewhat enjoyable at times. Most of the teachers gave her an assessment to complete or essay to write, then told her to go on her way to hand in at the same time as everyone else, gathering notes from her fellow teammates who had completed the lessons and tasks previously. Other lessons required her attendance due to their more practical nature, those being Dust Lessons with Professor Gale and Combat Classes with Professor Goodwitch.

It's how Neo and Glynda became close friends, what with the ice cream girl's age being much closer to her teacher's than the rest of the class, and both women's affinity for toying with their opponents. Even though Neo was told by the crop wielder that she didn't _need_ to attend these extra lessons because of her many years of practical application of her fighting, she attended anyway. That was another thing that made Glynda draw a liking to her; no one ever voluntarily came to more of her lessons than they needed to. It was tough on her - cramming essentially three years' worth of work and exams over multiple subjects into little over one third of that time. The caped blonde was so concerned about the mute overworking herself and smiling as she was hit, beaten and mentally broken in her classes that she had wanted her to confirm that she most definitely wasn't a masochist. She wasn't... sort of. Low-level, maybe.

But being in these classes with them meant she made a few friends and got used to them. There was a team in that year, Harlequin (HLQN), who she got on with extremely well. All four of them - especially Quentin Patterson, the only male in the group - had impeccable fashion taste and a knack for combining colours. She remembered back near the Festive Season in her Third Year when she and Fox had a special treat for the team that they immensely enjoyed.

* * *

"It's not too far away," Fox explained to Nylan, the youngest, shyest and easily most irritable of the four, "I promise."

Fox had found out through Neo that Nylan Gepard came from a very poor background, even for a Faunus like herself. Whilst her and her Father's Faunus kin were kinder to her, a select few individuals still shunned her for her half-breed heritage, and ridiculed her Father for mating with a human; fortunately, none of the Faunus in high ranking positions within her village thought poorly of them. Being a Cheetah Faunus, one of the rarest kinds of Faunus out there, didn't help her unease. When her Great-Great Grandparents first met, they mentioned how both of their parents got lucky - depending on who you asked - that their offspring produced Cheetah Faunus', due to its extremely high recessive nature. When they found each other, they knew they'd need to produce children to keep this rare lineage going. So, they did. But now _her_ Father not only produced a girl but a half-breed that wouldn't potentially carry the gene forward, she was made to feel horrible.

But being part Cheetah had its perks. None of her other friends had skin quite like hers; it was adorned with patchy brown spots that, against her lightly tanned skin, stood out a fair amount. When she was younger, she used makeup to cover them up. Now, she'd embraced them as part of her.

Neo had a huge part to play in that. She divulged the information to HLQN that she used to be an assassin for hire, and so she did very bad things that looking back on she really isn't proud of. She also mentioned how she used to be able to talk when she was little, but a disease she has reacted negatively to the treatment and in its wake destroyed her vocal chords. The mute explained how, whilst one of those things was the result of was a conscious choice she made, the other was not. No matter what she would or could have done, it was going to happen to her anyway, and how she was now was the result of that. This was the same for Nylan.

Being part Cheetah also gifted her with a natural edge in terms of land speed. They did a fitness test soon after arriving, and she was by far the fastest in the year. What really added insult to injury, according to her teammate Lulu, was that she wasn't even trying first time around. As the speedy boys sprinted as hard and as fast as they could, augmenting each step with their Aura to push their legs harder and faster than they could ever do normally, Nylan was running along at a fairly casual speed for her and always remaining out of their reach. She was asked to do it properly as everyone else did so they could get a proper indication of how fast she could go, and her speed over that short distance blew all previous attempts and records out of the water.

Everyone else completed the 100m sprint in roughly 11.5 seconds or so.

Nylan raced down the course in under 8 seconds - and even then, she admitted to holding back.

That still put her ahead of a charging Ursa or a Beowolf Alpha, so her lack of fighting prowess in comparison to her teammates made her bait more often than not. She didn't mind too much.

Nylan shrugged at Fox's response, her mousey brown shoulder length hair bobbing slightly as she did so. Yellow eyes glanced over at her leader, Viola Houndstooth (whose surname made up the 'H' in Team HLQN rather than any initial of her first name) in a slight panic, wanting a comfort blanket of some sort in hearing her say words of encouragement. The team leader simply sighed with a smile.

"Nylan, you know you can trust Fox. He's not going to hurt you."

"Yeah, it's just... I don't know." The team leader giggled to herself before quickly closing the gap between the two and catching the Faunus in a surprise side hug, frightening a brief scream out of her.

"Nylan, Nylan, Nylan. What are we going to do with you?" she mused. The two girls in the hug were partners at Beacon, and they were polar opposites of one another in near enough any and every way you could think of.

Nylan's mousey brown hair was shoulder length and naturally a little messy. Viola's came down to midway down her back and was often done in a style usually a braid of some sort. It made her hair form cool patterns depending on how she did it, because her hair was snow white with regular strips of black throughout. In a French braid, for example, her hair looked a lot like black and white harlequin pattern. That's how the team got their name; she was wearing her hair that way on initiation and Ozpin was having trouble otherwise finding a team that consisted of V or H, N or G, Q or P and L or P.

Viola's weapons were a pair of large barrelled shotguns that could combine together to make a slow but hard-hitting hammer, her preferred state, whereas Nylan had a medium lengthed, dual-edged sword meant for quicker strikes that parted down the middle to reveal the barrel of a machine pistol for her ranged attacks.

Nylan's yellow eyes that occasionally turned to slits when her semblance activated or frustrated and Viola's light grey orbs that almost sparkled when she used her semblance. The list could go on.

"Not only will Neo make sure that Fox doesn't harm you, I will _personally_ ensure that no harm comes of you." Viola was physically and sexually attracted to everyone, she didn't discriminate. The current apple of her eye? Her partner, Nylan. That made the entire scenario much more awkward than it maybe needed to be, because Nylan believed she felt no sexual attraction, nor any real physical attraction, to anyone. She did like playing up the fact she was Viola's crush though, as at least everyone on their team and their neighbouring team knew of the crush so it wasn't a secret between them. Nylan would occasionally hug back and make every one she did last just that little bit longer. She would walk close to Viola, _very_ close even, every now and again but she'd always try to keep her arms looked by her side and her hands planted firmly and deep in her trouser pockets to prevent her team leader from grabbing her hand or holding her arm and giving her a false sense of hope. She'd even given the black-and-white themed girl a couple of pecks on the cheek just to see what reaction it got. Usually, it was a strong blush that stained the leader's pale complexion a strong red hue. It was good for Nylan to see that every once in a while, considering how naturally shy she was in complete contrast to her partner, the fun-loving, outgoing person she was.

"Thank you Vi, I appreciate the sentiment." The mousey haired girl shot her partner a smile that she returned with a grin and giggle.

"Are you two done flirting yet?" Lulu teased, breaking their moment. Lulu Persimmon was the tallest of the team, but not by much, standing only 2" taller than Quentin and Viola at 5' 8". She wasn't bossy, but she had a slight impatient streak that the others tended to test a bit, much to her annoyance. Her outfit consisted of a very simple pair of black boots, dark grey leggings with her emblem sewn into the material just above her knees in her family colour of persimmon orange, equally dark grey shorts, an orange t-shirt that sat underneath a cropped, short sleeved blouse in a lighter shade of grey than her lower half. On her back, she wore her weapons - a pair of Chakram, one large, the other smaller. The larger one had an inside handle section going through the middle of it, so it could form a shield when she needed it to using her semblance. Her other weapon could compact slightly to just about the size of a bracelet, which she often let rest over her arm and, again using her semblance, could make it into an energy gauntlet to fire off bolts of energy at opponents.

Lulu's semblance lets her manipulate energy, mostly from her own extremely high pool of Aura, but in extreme situations she could strain a little more and draw from the immediate vicinity. Used defensively it created a nigh impenetrable energy shield, which she can only project over her Chakram. Offensively, the energy bolts impacted with a decent amount of force. Seeing her teammates glare at her, she knew she may have made a slight mistake.

"We are not dating," Nylan growled, her irises turning to slits, "we never have been and we never will. Why is that such a hard concept for you to grasp? Stop it with the attacks."

"We won't stop," Quentin jumped in, "until you confess to all of us your undying and secret love for our glorious team leader!" He finished before his partner could stop him, and that earned him glares from his grey eyed team leader after she saw her own partner's eyes shoot open in fear, pupils returning to normal and arms wrapping around her own body to protect herself.

"You _know_ that Nylan's not very self-confident and doesn't like things about her discussed unless she brings them up to us." Quentin already felt bad, but Viola wasn't stopping there. "And then to shout basically something like that out so loud even Menagerie heard it about her; imagine what a mental train wreck her mind must be right now. Think before you act next time Quentin." He lowered his head in shame.

"Will you all stop bickering back there," Fox spoke, having been listening to but not interrupting their conversation, "else we won't be taking you to Neo's Grotto."

"'Neo's Grotto'? Why's it called that?"

"Because Lulu, Neo was the first of us to find this place, so therefore it's Neo's Grotto. It's not the actual name, but that's what we call it." The older couple walked around the corner and spotted the building at the end of the next street. "Speak of the Devil. Ladies and Quentin," that brought a smile to Nylan's face, which in turn brightened Viola's mood. "I present to you; Neo's Grotto." The scarred young man gestured with an open hand towards the building he'd become so familiar with since dating Neo. Team HLQN stared down the street at the building without words.

"That's it?" came the eventual reply from the blond boy.

"Wow, underwhelmed much." ~ _Are you sure you picked up_ _the right team?_ ~

~ _Are you doubting my friend making skills? Once they're inside, their attitudes will change completely._ ~

' _Whatever you say hun._ ' "Come on then, let's get you inside. Your attitudes will change completely, I guarantee it." Neo chuckled to herself.

True enough, when they entered the building their eyes grew in wonder. Rows upon rows of different materials and fabrics over multiple floors. It was a gold mine for the fashion focussed First Year team.

"Pretty good, huh?"

Nylan was the one to speak on behalf of everyone else, tears of joy in her eyes. "This is amazing!"

* * *

Team HLQN were Neo's favourite team in that year.

"What're you thinking about Neo?" Coco queried, breaking the mute's concentration.

{" _Sorry, zoned out. I was just thinking about Team HLQN._ "} A smile ghosted its way onto the smaller woman's lips, which caught Coco's eyes and made her smile too.

"They're the now-Second Year Team you got on with really well, aren't they?" She nodded. "The same ones you were really worried about when they didn't return from their break near the end of the year for an extra week, and when they did they were all slow and drained?" The smile faded, replaced by a frown, but the nod remained. "The ones who went to 'The Four Season Springs' Resort for their break, the same place we ever so conveniently are going to for our first Final Year mission?" The response from Neo was slow, but it eventually came. Another nod.

{" _That Grimm on the mission report might be it, the reason they came back looking like zombies for three weeks. Even now, they're not what they used to be, and that was May time._ "} In a moment that shocked both her and the woman she was with, Neo's breaths became short and sharp, sweat formed on her head and she started to feel really, uncomfortably warm. She was hyperventilating, and that worried Coco something rotten. Velvet always used to hyperventilate when she was overly worked up, she still did at times, but it was still cause for comfort and security. What made this worse for the fashionista was that this was one of the few sounds she'd ever heard Neo making, and the sound of a woman she'd never heard speak before nearly choking on her own breaths was horrifying.

"Neo, calm down." The fashionista wrapped her arms around her friend, getting her in a comfortable yet firm hug, "you'll be fine. Breathe slowly. Focus on my voice. Focus on the hug." The breathing slowed and grew less intense with every passing moment. But then the hug tightened on Neo's end and Coco felt slight hiccups in her chest. Neo was sobbing silently into her chest. She kissed the top of her head and started swaying slightly, comforting the ice cream girl. When that subsided, she pushed her away to look into her eyes; they were red from that sudden spout of crying and her irises were still vanilla white from fear. "If it is that Grimm, we're going to get it. I promise." The woman nodded with conviction, returning to the hug.

* * *

'What do you mean I can't see them?' she'd scribbled on the paper provided to her. The Nurse looked uncomfortable discussing with the woman.

"It's their condition madam. We fear it's too dangerous to let visitors in there." The tri coloured woman slumped back in the chair crossing her arms in frustration like a child three times younger than her current age. She didn't think it was fair; they were her friends, why couldn't she see them. She sat up again and started angrily scribbling something to say to him.

'Can I at least know how long they're going to be in here?'

"Patient confidentiality states that I physically cannot, under any circumstances, reveal any more information than I already have."

 _Well that's some bullshit,_ she thought to herself, her look to the Nurse more than enough for him to realise that was what she was implying. _Then again..._ Heterochromatic eyes looked him up and down, sussing out the uniform fairly quickly and easily. _A day's work, at best. And I have classes._ Her idea held less and less merit as each thought passed, that was until he realised something. _A day's work, at best... on my own._ She stood, content on losing this battle. She bowed as her way of thanking them, then left the Infirmary at Beacon and near enough made a beeline for her favourite shop in Vale.

**~000~**

"There she is, the little Superwoman." Still as excited as ever to see their favourite customer walking through the door. He was out of his usual practical blue jeans for the first time since she'd started frequenting the place, as instead he was favouring a pair of beige chinos and a strong pink top. "What's on today's wish list then?"

{" _Well, I'm in need of a Nurse's uniform; and before you ask, no, it is not for anything like_ _that_ _._ "} The man chuckled, then gestured for her to carry on. {" _You know I used to be involved in some less than amicable lines of work, one of which was breaking and entering?_ "}

"Mm hmm."

"{ _There's some friends of mine currently in the Infirmary back at Beacon. The Secure Ward, because of where they went and what happened to them as a result. I don't know what happened, and I don't like that. So, I'm going to go in there and find out myself, posing as one of the Nurses attending to them, then staying after the officials have gone and having talk with my friends properly._ "}

"Someone's put a bit of thought behind this, haven't they?" She shrugged at his statement, but continued past it.

{" _The problem now is that I have classes, so making time is reduced to weekends_ _if_ _my team aren't doing anything - which most of the time, we are. So, I was wondering if I could call upon your fine team to aid me?_ "}

"Oh, Neo." The man spoke with a hushed voice; but not out of secrecy, instead because it was the best way he could think of to keep his feelings of happiness and pride in check. It didn't work well, but it helped to a small degree. "We would be honoured to help you." He called his workforce together, save the handful of them that were serving at the moment. "Alright listen up. Neo here is in need of our help. She's in need of an accurate Nurse or even Doctor's outfit from Beacon Infirmary, but she doesn't have the time to do it alone. If we all pool together, we can get this done for her quick. Get as much as you can done before we shut, then make sure those who are replacing you on night duty know what they're doing." Neo showed them all a photo of a Nurse's uniform from the Infirmary and they started gathering materials straight away and getting to work. "There you are hun, all set in motion. I'll get the nocturnal workers to keep going at this as well, we should have this done by this time tomorrow."

{" _Thank you, I owe you big time._ "} The man scoffed and held up his hand in protest.

"Neo sweetie, you've brought so many customers here yourself that our business has doubled based on your friends alone. You've done more than enough for us."

**~000~**

**Dart's Darting Shop** **:  
** _**Hi Neo. Just thought I'd let you know that we got it all sorted for you. The night shift workers revelled the challenge but stepped up to it with great enthusiasm. Even used your Time Dust method (now I know how you can do things so fast. I won't tell)** _

_**Come find me, or if you need it earlier and I'm not there, one of the Nocs will either let you in or give it to you.** _

Neo was thoroughly impressed, she didn't expect the third thing she saw after she had woken up - first being her boyfriend sleeping beside her, and second being the time, 5:49 - to be a message on her Scroll saying that it was already done, and judging by the time it was sent, had been for the past hour and a quarter. It's why she loved that place; fast service, a good turnaround, great customer service and they were the first place besides home that treated Neo like family; they didn't care about background, they wanted their customers happy. Also, they took her advice and used her method of using Time Dust to speed up their work - someone had to use it now that she was working to a normal schedule again.

~ _Fox?_ ~

~ _Yeah?_ ~ he mentally mumbled, still not completely awake but enough so to hold a simple conversation.

~ _I'm heading out, need to get something. I'll write a note._ ~ Her lips moved to place a kiss on his own, causing him to stir a little more and his eyes to part. ~ _Love you._ ~

The young man smiled, then whispered back, "Love you too."

~ _Don't get up. Just go back to sleep, I'll be fine._ ~ Doing as he was told (she loved it when he did that so willingly), dark copper brown eyes stole one final look at the woman laying next to him before they returned him to the land of dreams. The woman had a quick wash in the sink just so she didn't wake anyone up with the sound of a running shower, got changed into her uniform but threw her normal jacket on over it all to at least partially cover the easily identifiable clothing and headed out to Vale to grab her disguise.

She was trying to be good, she really was. Heck, she was having good amounts of fun being good and she was darn good at it too.

But one thing she was ever so slightly better at due to many more years of practice was being bad.


	4. Lights Out

She didn't draw suspicion at all, which was good. Whilst she was a fair amount shorter than the other staff in the Infirmary, they were all otherwise occupied to notice her. Plus, she wasn't in her usual attire. After classes had finished for the day, she excused herself from her team and got changed, even donning her jet black haired 'Cherry' wig and swapping her eyes to emerald green. She even put on a bit more makeup to try and disguise the fact that she wasn't who she said she was. But once the four's check-ups were completed for the day and they were left alone in the room, Neo made her way in, looking like she had important business to discuss with them.

"Sorry Nurse, we've already been spoken to this evening." The member of staff paid no attention to Viola's polite protest, as she kept flicking through her "notes" and jotting down something on the spare paper she was carrying with her.

"She said," her partner added, her yellow eyes partially slit when "Nurse Cherry's" emerald green eyes glanced over at her, "we've already been seen. We want sleep and privacy."

"I bet you do," came the weaker but still as sassy voice of Lulu from the bed furthest from the door. "Too bad we're all sharing a room, eh Nylan?"

"Fuck off, Lu-P." Lu-P. was the Faunus girl's nickname for her teammate. In the Cheetah's own words, "With a name like 'Lulu Persimmon', your parents were wishing for you to be bullied in later life. But admittedly, it goes well with your theme of circles as well". With a smile she tried to keep to herself, the mute woman strode forward to stand by the bedside of the team leader. "Don't touch her," the Faunus threatened, her eyes fully slit now. Neo shook her head and wrote some more on the paper. When she leaned down to present her notes to the harlequin patterned leader, Nylan was up, out of her bed and protecting Viola instinctively, a menacing growl coming from her. Most Faunus don't like their more animalistic natures showing, like Blake with her affinity for yarn, or Velvet's habit of deciding to binky whenever something truly amazing happens to her; others like Sun embrace it, not caring that the world knows he has a thing for bananas and banana flavoured basically-everything. Nylan fell under the roof of the first category. But in situations like this, she didn't care. If anything, she was more than happy to show off her Faunus heritage, especially if it meant protecting Viola. Neo recoiled slightly at the display of protection, then smugly smiled as she turned her paper around.

'I wasn't expecting you to be this bad, but Nylan's made me think that you're on the road to recovery.'

"Neo?" All three other people in the room perked up at the mere mention of her name. The woman was many years their senior, yet treated them no different, and genuinely so, it was a relieving sensation from the professors in classes. In response to the question, Neo blinked hard, bringing her eyes back to unmistakeable Heterochromatic pink and brown. "Neo!" Quentin moved slightly in his bed to face the rest of his team, the fact he was the only male and the fact he seemed to have fared the worst for wear out of everyone made him a little slower than usual. He turned around in time to see his spotted teammate nearly throwing their older friend off the bed in a powerful hug. "What're you doing here? We're not supposed to have visitors." The mute smirked and started writing down her response on the piece of paper two from the front, keeping the first two reserved for authentic looking documents.

'Do I look like a visitor? I broke the rules to see you, so if you don't tell I won't get in trouble. I was just worried about you.' She saw Quentin looking at them, still partially spaced out and in pretty bad shape in comparison to everyone else, his skin - whilst regaining its natural colouring - still carried the ghostly blue-grey hue they sported when they arrived back at Beacon after their break. She pointed at him, then gave him a thumbs up with furrowed eyebrows; Universal Sign for "You alright?"

"I'm coping." His everyday upbeat, lively voice and attitude were gone, replaced by small responses that seemed painful to say, even given their small size. His voice was gravelly and about half an octave down from what it usually was; even considering all that his voice still sounded ever so slightly feminine in pitch.

"Why are you here?" Lulu spoke, reiterating her teammate's previous question, "There has to be a reason." As Neo started writing down her response, the orange themed girl continued. "You've shown how patient you are, so you _could have_ very easily waited until we could have visitors before seeing us. Sneaking in to see us early, you want something from us." As she was finishing off writing, she nodded, confirming the Chakram wielder's suspicions. When she was done, she showed those around her the response she'd written.

'What happened? I need to know everything I can: what, when, who, why?'

"Everything?" Viola asked. Neo's answer to that was to underline very heavily a single word on the paper, making it very clear what she was thinking.

'...everything...'

"Okay..." she looked round at the others in the room, getting nods of approval from each of them. Her eyes finished their rounds on Nylan, who was still on her bed but was now leaning back and resting one hand on her partner's knee through the covers. The Faunus gave a small smile, knowing what she was doing, and Viola's lips ghosted a smirk so no one else could notice before she shifted herself up to a sitting position, forcing Nylan to move. She didn't go very far though, just to the chair on the far side of Viola's bed, even moving it closer to the bed. "We went to 'The Four Season Springs' Resort over our break; we'd left late on our last day of semester, arrived early to mid-morning on Saturday, enjoy ourselves Saturday through to Friday, pack up and leave the following Saturday morning and be back at Beacon for Saturday night. That was the plan, at least. It was on course to do that, right up until Wednesday afternoon. We went up to the 'Summer Spirit' Spring for a little bit of relaxing in the natural spring, we were in there for what could have been no more than five minutes before the water started darkening." Neo's eyebrow arched, she'd never heard of that happening before.

"And when she says darkening, she means it," Quentin weakly added.

"Dark, dirty black water..." Lulu mentioned with a shudder.

"Grimm black," Nylan confirmed. Both of Neo's eyebrows were raised now and her irises turned ivory.

 _There's a Grimm that can do that?_ she thought to herself, skin on her palms getting slightly wet from sudden fear. She jotted down a warning as Viola continued on.

"We try to leave, but all of us find that there's something attached to our legs, like a hand. We can't see anything, so it might have been. Lulu was the only one out of the water at the time, but when she tried to run a tentacle of what looked like pure water with a human hand at the end grabbed her ankle and pulled her into the spring. None of us could move. That's all I could remember before we regained consciousness and stumbled back to our rooms."

"I remember a bit more. After what seemed like a couple of minutes of nothing, I felt like I was being suspended in the air. In that state of not-quite consciousness, I'm sure I heard voices, but the voices were... ours..." The Faunus' right fist clenched hard, but it relaxed soon after her partner did something that none of the other three present could see. Viola smiled at her again, this time not trying to hide it. Neither was Nylan.

"Turns out, we were out for nearly 12 days with no indication of where we went, except a very small trace of Lulu's blood where she was first grabbed and pulled over, bashing her nose against the floor a bit."

"No broken nose for me, thank Oum for that," she mentioned with a sigh, patting the cartilage on her face as if to tell say 'well done for not getting destroyed', "but I didn't get my Aura up at the exact right time to prevent a little bit of blood coming out."

"We didn't feel right... we still don't, and poor Quentin got it worst of all."

"I tried to fight it," he admitted, followed by a couple of hacking coughs. "Don't do that." The three younger girls all looked around at each other, confused by what he said.

"Quen, why'd you-"

"She's gonna go there." They all looked at Neo, who silently sighed and nodded. "Told you."

"Neo, you can't. We barely came out alive, and I think that's because it _wanted_ us to get out!" The woman stood her ground, her eyes swapping from pink and brown to brown and pink - the sign she was willing to fight. It took a moment, but eventually they realised that she wouldn't be deterred. Nylan's hand let go of Viola's from under the bed sheets as they both went to hug Neo.

"Promise us," Viola whispered through growing tears, "that you won't die. You can't die, and I won't _let you_ die for us!" The harlequin patterned girl moved back from her hug to look the more experienced woman dead in the eyes. "Promise us, promise _me_." Neo raised her left hand and drew a cross over her heart with her right; an expert didn't need to tell you what that meant. Neo went to hug Lulu, who wore a smile not seen by many as she did. After her, she finished her hugging rounds by going to Quentin.

"Be careful." She nodded at his request, then turned back to the two girls by the bed. She pointed at Nylan, then at her bed.

"Yeah, I know." Before she went, she grabbed behind her partner's head and pulled her up so that their foreheads touched. Viola's hand reached up and mirrored the hold on Nylan. Both girls remained there for a few seconds, smiling at the moment of contact they were sharing. Neo, confused at this, looked to Lulu, who nodded with another smile. The two partners were very close, practically an item. She'd call it 'dating', but Nylan's aversion to the word and uncertainty over whether this is genuine or fleeting meant that they were avoiding it until they knew for a fact. When they broke from that, Nylan made her way back to her own bed and lay down again as if she'd never left the uncomfortable mattress at all. Neo briefly waved goodbye, then proceeded to shatter into a thousand, glass like pieces.

* * *

{" _They were drained, even their medical records confirmed that their Aura's all seemed off kilter,_ "} Neo signed to Coco. {" _It was like part of them was missing. Hell, it still feels like that now. I asked Fox to check as well, they're not all there - Aura wise._ "} Her little joke at her friends' expense brought an unwarranted but not completely unwanted smile to her face.

"Neo, you're such a selfless creature. I know that, you know that and they know that. You're doing what you feel is right, and you have been looking for ways to do something. No offence, but it's why we were so busy doing things over the summer break with you. And why we've never taken up anything even in the quadrant of South-Eastern Vale since then." The ice cream girl looked at her caramel coloured companion with a mixture of betrayal and confusion. "We knew, probably the very same week you went to see HLQN. Both you and Fox forget sometimes that the other can hear your thoughts."

_Shit... does he know about..._

"Yup, even those ones."

 _SHIT!_ She blushed hard, her face matching the colour of her own hair, then surpassing that to match the colours of the pancake loving one from JNPR's skirt, then it even passed that and rivalled the hair colour of the Amazonian demi-Goddess that was Pyrrha Nikos.

"He heard you mentally muttering about going to it multiple times that week, said nothing to you and told the rest of us. We then made sure to only get assigned missions in the remaining three quadrants for the rest of the year. We couldn't let you go killing yourself for revenge, even on a Grimm. Team CFVYN wouldn't be the same without you." Coco was trying to be sincere, but Neo raised an eyebrow wondering if Coco realised her mistake. She didn't, so she sought to correct that.

"CFVYN without me goes back to being Team CFVY." There was a moment of silence as the cogs inside the fashionista's head ticked away. When they all aligned, Neo saw expressive eyes shoot her a defeated look from behind designer shades.

"Touché. _But..._ Fox goes back to being single because his teammate and lover decided she wanted to sacrifice herself facing off against a Grimm that, whilst it did have the element of surprise and I suppose they _were_ unarmed, managed to knockout and utterly decimate a highly praised and equally highly skilled First Year team of Huntresses and a Huntsman-in-Training in less than 60 seconds." Sunglasses were now lowered so that eyes were unobstructed from view. The smaller woman saw her leader's eyes were looking at her like they both already knew the answer but one of them (her) didn't know it yet. "And you think you can do what four of the couldn't, alone?" They stared waiting for the other to break first.

Both combatants in this game of patience were well versed in endurance. Neo had over 9 year's worth of sexual encounters with men, women, Faunus and Huntsmen that all proved to be a great endurance workout. Coco only had 2 year's worth, but she had Velvet: a Rabbit Faunus that would make anyone who wanted to know question if she really was a Faunus or a living, breathing machine with how feisty she could be at times. If Fox and Neo's first date was anything to go by, they were going at it literally all day, and they only stopped because they knew that they'd be back to the dorm soon. They stared, blinking once or twice each but never breaking eye contact, never flinching.

Neo's eyes guiltily drifted to the space behind Coco only for a brief moment. 'Brief moments' were enough for the fashionista. "Yeah, see I'm calling bullshit on that." Heterochromia blinked to brown as she lowered her head in admittance. She _was_ thinking about going at it alone, if only because other than Fox to a much lesser extent, she was the only one who was friends with HLQN from CFVYN. "You can't win against that thing."

{" _I won't know until I try._ "}

"Until _we_ try, Neo. Why'd you think we, specifically you, got first pick on all the missions for the start of the year?" The mute now looked up again, hurt was the dominant emotion this time. "Ozpin and Goodwitch spoke to me, as per normal, for my Team Leader One to Technically-One-But-Because-Goodwitch-Is-Always-There-It's-Two before the start of the term. In it, I said that you were almost running away to tackle that task on your own, and that there had to be a way to get you there a) Safely and b) With your team. So, they added the mission to the choice pool and gave you first refusal."

{" _What, so aren't we good enough to do it alone? We need 'Ozpin's Seal of Approval' to do the thing that I've wanted to do since May?!_ "}

"Wha... no! No, of course not; you're twisting my words." The mute couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. "But you need us there Neo. We're a team. We do this together. _And_ we get paid to do it."

_Oh yeah, a 120,000 Lien Reward. Neat._

**BOOM!**

_Less_ _neat._

"Okay, what? Why are there explosions going off on Campus? How can we be having accidents with Dust already; we haven't even started the year yet, what the-"

**BOOM!**

"Those aren't accidents. Neo, let's go!" The two young women ran to the source of the explosions and the now sudden screaming of First Years running to save themselves, pushing past them to get to the commotion. The gunner was certain she heard something clink nearby. She glanced down and saw a metal ball with red dust glowing inside it ever brighter, threatening to explode any se-

**BOOM!**

The force sent both girls flying backwards, Coco taking a much larger hit on her Aura than Neo, who sadly took more of a physical hit having not readied her Aura against it. Her clothes were scorched and her ears rang, her hands clutched over them in an ultimately pointless effort to rid her of the high-pitched sound in her ears. Coco crawled towards Neo to try and comfort her and get her on her feet again as soon as she could, but a black shoe cracked her across the face and knocked her senses out of whack, rendering her useless. Neo strained to open her eyes against the pain in her ears. She saw the shoes, clean white trousers and the body of her teammate laying motionless on the ground near her. Having neither heard anything nor seen anything happen, her mind jumped to the worst possible conclusion. Her eyes were streaming tears within a second, reaching out to grab what she thought was the lifeless hand of her friend, only to have a metal object jab her in the stomach, forcing her to contract again to protect her core muscles that were currently in heaps of pain. The flat end was replaced by a hook the grabbed her arm and moved it so she was laying flat on her back, facing the attacker. That's when she saw it.

Black shoes.

White trousers.

A stick with a flat and hooked end. More specifically, a cane.

And looking up now; a bowler hat.

"Mornin' Neo." And that was the last thing she heard before she was clubbed so hard in the face with the cane that she fell unconscious.


	5. This is a Whole New Low for The White Fang

The crescendos and subsequent diminuendos of the school's warning siren echoed throughout the grounds. Many of the Fresh-off-the-Ship First Years were running towards the large structure in the middle of their new home for the next 4 years, providing they made it through this ordeal. Older students and Huntsmen-turned-Teachers were running to attend to the injured and scared.

"Children," Goodwitch shouted over the ensuing chaos, "make your way to the main dining hall and await further instructions from Professor Ozpin there. Do not fight, just stay there." A large majority complied on that first command. A few foolhardy First Years who complained about not getting to fight were told plain and simply, "I haven't seen you fight, and even then you are First Years fresh from your Junior Academies. Therefore, I'm not risking your lives on something like this. Head inside." The one idiot who _still_ didn't get the message was promptly pick up and thrown via Goodwitch's semblance towards the hall with a sly half-smirk and a menacing half-taunt, half-dare of "Anyone else?" to those who were wanting to fight. Everyone complied with what she said after that.

Team _FVY_ and Ruby were on the scene promptly, what with where they were being situated fairly close to the front of the school grounds. Once the silver eyed brunette had called her locker to her, opening it to reveal her precious Crescent Rose, her cloak unwrapped from around her waist and now lay over her shoulders like a cloak should. Ruby was ready for action.

"Now's gonna be as good a time as any to test out your new upgrades Fox," Ruby mentioned with a proud smile on her face, "just be careful of anything going wrong and tell me afterwards."

"Right!" was all the copper haired boy said as he unfolded his weapons from their compact state to their shiny new aggressive mode. There wasn't much different in Fox's eyes, but he knew what Ruby was like so he wouldn't be surprised if there were a couple of things that come out of nowhere during this battle. As two more lockers landed besides her own revealing a Greatsword and a Camera, Velvet placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"We're ready to follow your lead Ruby."

"I... uh... what?"

"You're a team leader, and it won't always be your own team you need to be leading. You're call the shots for us Rubes."

"Uh..."

"Or if you're worried about that," came the voice of her long-time friend at Beacon and fellow team leader Jaune, followed closely by his own team, "we can always share the responsibility." The smile that came across her face made it clear that she was happy with the preposition. It faded momentarily when she finally registered that there were only five Third Year students there, herself included.

"Any idea where the rest of my team is?"

"I am sure they will be here in good time," the current resident ninja assured.

"We wouldn't want you overloading yourself as well, trying to lead more people than you can cope with," Pyrrha added.

"Yeah..." Ruby muttered, rubbing the back of her head. Battle cries rang from down the way as people started charging and attacking the students that had fallen behind in the confusion, bringing her back to reality. "Who wants a boost in?"

"Think you can manage?"

"Aw man..." She cursed at herself for offering when Yatsuhashi, of all people, made his way towards her. She breathed heavily, readying herself for the strain this was most likely going to cause on her body before the fighting had even begun. He got into position, then after one final breath Ruby swung her scythe in such a way that it caught him and flung him towards the fighting, firing a few rounds as well to aid the swing.

 _Huh,_ she thought in surprise, _wasn't as bad as I th-_ The sudden wave of pain that shot up her left arm made her realise that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, it was worse. "Why do I suggest things?" she whimpered to herself as she relocated her shoulder back to the correct spot inside her body and moved forward with the rest of them, fighting against losing consciousness and - to her own surprise - was currently winning.

The gentle giant soared through the air like a rocket, something he wasn't familiar with. Yatsuhashi could see lots from up here; the mass of First Year students running for cover, a solitary Bullhead flying away, and his team behind him when he looked the right way. He shifted his weight to better aim his trajectory, and when he spotted his targets - a large group of charging White Fang members - he aimed his landing accordingly. As Ruby, JNPR, Velvet and Fox were charging in themselves for the attack, the White Fang members saw their advances and a small group started splintering off to combat them. They didn't get very far when a 7ft tall hulking mass of a man came crashing down in the middle of them all, sending upwards of 20 people flying from the shockwave. The students took that as an opportunity to split up and clear out this group.

"Jaune! Lead JNPR, take half and do your own thing. Yatsuhashi, Fox; stay close to each other. Velvet, with me!"

"Pyr, go with Ren. Nora, care to join me?"

"Alright, let's get to smashing!" There was no questioning, there was only action.

Despite not being partners, Ren and Pyrrha fought as if they'd been together for most of their lives. They ran towards a couple of members who carried weapons, firing them wildly at the Ninja and Amazon as they approached. Pyrrha, being the one in front, ducked down behind Akoúo̱ and bore the brunt of the bullets coming in as Ren vaulted over her and used the swinging momentum to bring his feet around and crash into the gun wielding member who stood furthest forward, knocking him into everyone else behind him. Feeling and hearing the rain of bullets disappear against her shield, the woman stood up and threw her shield like a discus at one member, most likely a monkey Faunus considering the tail, that crashed into the back of him and threw him straight to the floor either unconscious or in serious pain. Pyrrha called Akoúo̱ back to her with her semblance, but hearing a pair of feet approaching from behind she dodged out of the way of her shield returning, flying past her own head and coming firmly into contact with the head of the approaching Lizard Faunus.

Ruby and Velvet was currently engaged with a large group of White Fang who had taken it upon themselves to gang up on the two smallest members of the student group. The pair were by no means incapable of fighting - in fact they were both considered one of the strongest 10 fighters in their respective Years - but even they had trouble dealing with an onslaught of nearly 20 White Fang members at once. Ruby blocked the punch of one, but as she went to swing Crescent Rose to respond she was hit from behind by another. Velvet was on the defensive constantly, blocking and dodging as best she could in the ever shrinking circle that was their current battleground. Back to back, the young women looked at their attackers nervously - not at their skill, but at the sheer number that could easily overwhelm them if they tried, and they were trying.

"Hey!" came a familiar voice from behind the group. A few members turned around, only to have their bodies completely frozen by Ice Dust. "No one else goes _near_ my partner, got it?"

"Aww, you do care."

"Ruby! Now is not the time," Weiss snapped back, Myrtenaster already clashing against the knives that some members carried in shaky hands.

"Wait, if Weiss is here then where's-" The hooded woman was interrupted by the cries pain from White Fang as Yang and Blake came flying through the group with ferocity, trying their best to hit as many as they could on their way through.

"Miss me?" the blonde said, her signature grin plastered on her face.

"Sort of," her sister replied, "I missed Blake more." The grin was gone, replaced with a hurt expression.

"How could you?" She turned to Blake. "How could _you?_ " The Cat Faunus shrugged with a smirk, clearly having fun with this. The fun dissipated the second she recalled they weren't here to banter back and forth, the school was under attack by White Fang.

"What's the plan Ruby?" she asked facing outwards, initiating a four point defence that her partner, leader and fellow Faunus all joined.

"Do your own thing," she ordered in an effort to be as to-the-point as she could be, seeing some White Fang getting back up and looking pretty pissed off at them. "Stay together, stay close to us all. Fire anything drastic you plan to do through me first."

"Got it sis." Lilac eyes glanced backwards over her left shoulder towards Blake, whom she couldn't see but knew was there. "Wanna give the Mark another go Blakey?" Unseen by the brawler, the Faunus smirked and channelled her Aura through her Mark, making it glow. Yang's followed suit a moment after, understanding what that meant and acting on what the glow told them. They rushed off to fight as Velvet and Ruby stayed close together.

"Ruby, I can't feel Coco's Mark." The shake in her voice was enough to draw the scythe wielder away from the battle raging on around them to focus on the woman behind her.

"Velvet, it'll be-"

"No, I can _always_ feel her. Now I can't. I didn't realise until just now when the adrenaline rush died down and now I'm scared for her." She actively flared her Aura through the Mate's Mark on her shoulder, but got nothing in return. Her eyes started filling with tears and Ruby did her best to comfort her in the given situation.

"Velvet, please, focus on the now. Coco'll be fine, she's strong." Tears dried very fast and sadness was replaced with anger. Velvet no longer held back, and she unloaded all her anger and frustration onto the unsuspecting members of The White Fang that got in her way.

Fox ran in to be side by side with his partner, who was holding his weapon over his shoulder and was currently waiting for a couple of White Fang members to stand back up. With a nod of their heads, they confirmed that they knew the game plan they were going for. There were five members in front of them; a deer Faunus, two wolves, a rhino and a koala Faunus. The rhino would be their biggest challenge, if only for the man's large size, naturally more armoured skin and probable tendency to charge at his opponents. One of the wolves was first up and without hesitation ran at the pair, shouting curses at them. In a foolish move, the White Fang member leapt at them to get a 'good vantage point' for his attack. Sadly for him, all it did was mean that his course was set and he could not change it, especially as he wanted to upon seeing the smaller of his two enemies calmly closing the gap between them and swinging round to deliver a left elbow to the face that could have been easily dodged were he planted firmly on the floor. I mean, the wolf Faunus was now, but he was also unconscious. The koala and second wolf Faunus ran at the pair of them, attacking almost in complete synchronisation with one another.

 _These three have never been in a fight before,_ Yatsuhashi thought to himself as the younger looking wolf boy swung wildly at him. He didn't have any fighting prowess, nor any skill - he was there, swinging away and hoping that a punch or kick would connect. Yatsuhashi dodged out of the way and knocked the back of his attacker's head, knocking the mask off. The young wolf turned and stared angrily at the student, who gasped at the revelation. The person he was fighting looked no older than 12. He was a kid. Amidst all the dodging, the towering student spun his weapon round so that the sharp edge was facing away; these kids didn't need to be killed because that's all they were, kids. As the boy came in again, the pommel of a Greatsword smacked him on the side of the head, knocking him out. Yatsuhashi called out to the red clad impromptu leader of their group.

"Ruby!" His deep and powerful bass voice carried across the vast distance it needed to travel with ease. The young woman landed a kick on the mouse Faunus she was fighting that knocked her down and out, then turned her attention to the source of the sound. "Non-lethal, they're children." Silver eyes widened, then ran to her recently defeated opponent and stripped the mask from her face. The girl she fought looked like she'd barely turned 10. The scythe wielder paled, then made an executive decision.

"Everyone, fall back! Group on Yatsu!" The 11 students did so, all facing one direction towards the demised, but still very sizable, wall of White Fang.

"Why'd you have to do that Ruby?" Nora groaned. "I was just about to get smashing properly."

"Nora, these White Fang are almost all children." There was a collective "What?!" from most of the group, none more so than Blake. Gambol Shroud was quickly sheathed and the ex-Second in Command of their faction stepped forward. Ruby was going to call out, but Yang held her sister back, her Mark glowing slightly and a grin on her face. She knew what Blake was doing, even if no one else knew.

"Why are you fighting?" the Cat Faunus started, removing her ribbon to show her heritage. Her hearing now much better because she didn't have the ribbon muffling sounds in her second ears, she heard - nay, felt - Nora's high pitched squeal at the sight of Blake's 'Super Adorable Kitty-Cat Ears'. Blake then also heard Velvet's "Ow...", considering she was right next to Nora when the squeal started, and the rabbit ears worked a little better than her Cat ones. "You are nothing but children."

"W-we are t-the ones who fight for what we believe is r-right." Blake walked closer to the girl at the front, the one who spoke up to them, with her hands held up so that they could see there was nothing she was hiding or planning on doing.

"But you are children, are you not?" She felt the fear in this one's heart; a chameleon Faunus, if the changing skin colour didn't make it obvious enough already. "What had Adam done to you?"

" _Brother Adam_ has given us a purpose!" the girl snapped back, her fear subsided slightly. "W-we know what we stand for and we will fight for it."

"And what is that?" She was intent on driving her point home.

"If we are seen as monsters, we shall treat the humans like monsters. We will make them fear us as we had learned to fear them!" It sounded monotonous, like a script. Blake felt guilt, and Yang felt her guilt too, at what the organisation had become.

"I am not your enemy. We are not. Fighting and violence will only cause more fighting and more violence that will eventually cause death and destruction. I don't want that for us. I want equality too, but these methods are wrong." Her time in the group made her gain a certain ineptitude to speeches like this. "Adam Taurus has taken things too far. He's roping in children like you to fight a cause that is not yours to fight. Yes, you are the future of Faunus-kind, I know that much. But you have been brainwashed. _I_ had been brainwashed, and I was much younger than you when this all kicked off. I saw how The White Fang changed, it was abrupt in some places, but it lasted. I broke away, and whilst my actions still haunt me to this day, I feel like what I am doing is right. I want you to feel the same." Blake kneeled in front of the chameleon and removed her mask, showing a teary eyed 11 year old girl behind. "I want you to feel like you can live your lives without fear of constant prejudice. It will always happen, there will always be hate, but we can fight it if we fight ourselves first. When we change, the world may change around us too." She gave the girl a maternal hug, who instantly flung her arms around the older Faunus and started sobbing into the woman's shoulder. Masks were removed and crying could be heard throughout the group. The remaining 10 students came forward, weapons away, and started comforting the children.

After a few minutes, Goodwitch arrived with a look that she was ready to throw down, but stopped short when she saw 11 of her students comforting, talking with and laughing with these... children? Children in White Fang outfits. Green eyes flew open as the realisation hit her.

"Professor Goodwitch," Velvet harked her over, the Huntress slowly complying as she stared around at the groups being spoken to by the students. Some of Velvet's group started whimpering and hiding behind the shy Faunus herself. "Shh, shh, it's alright. Professor Goodwitch is a Huntress, but she's such a caring person. She won't hurt you." The brief glance the crop wielder was given by the mage told her that wasn't a request, but an order. She was going to do that anyway, but the conviction in the student's eyes made her realise how serious this was to her. "Professor, have you seen Coco around anywhere?"

"I'm afraid not, Ms Scarlatina. I can go and look around for you, see what I can find." Her lips curled upwards to show her genuine concern, a gesture the Faunus greatly appreciated.

"Thank you. Oh, can you look for Neo as well? She and Coco were heading towards the Tower together." With a brief nod, Glynda turned and went off searching for the students. The children of The White Fang were finding that each of the students present had their own ways to keep them entertained whilst they all tried to calm down and rethink their choices. Naturally, Yatsuhashi was chosen as a climbing post by certain Faunus', especially one little 8 year old Cat Faunus who really loved climbing onto his shoulders then rubbing her cheek against his own. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw Velvet taking photos of them together. Some more hyperactive ones found out that Ruby's semblance meant she could fly around at breakneck speeds, so they wanted to try that out and see if they could catch her. When she almost got overwhelmed by numbers, the hooded girl sought refuge behind her partner.

Both girls screamed as they were tackled to the floor by 5 over-energised Faunus children. When the mass of white, black and grey removed itself from the pair, JNPR and Fox all started laughing at the sight before them - Weiss Schnee wrapping her arms around Ruby Rose like her life depended on it, her head buried in the girl's shoulder. Ruby's silver eyes opened and saw the sight herself, her cheeks tinting pink as she realised. That pink was very promptly replaced with full on crimson when she realised the 11 pairs of Faunus children eyes and 5 pairs of friends' eyes were staring at them.

"Ruby?" the platinum haired Heiress muttered through fabric on her partner's shoulder. "Tell me straight..."

 _Kinda hard to do that_ _Weiss-y,_ she thought before cursing out her sister for making her think of puns at a time like this.

"...are we dead?"

"I mean, I don't know about you, but _I_ might be in heaven right now." She spoke with a large, teasing grin, knowing Weiss' thoughts on the matter. The woman in question removed her head from where it had fallen, her brilliant blue pools staring into silver.

"What are you talking about?" Ruby said nothing, letting her grin widen as she gestured down with her eyes. Following her gaze, she saw her own arms wrapped around Ruby, and then she remembered resting her head in Ruby's shoulder... How it was possible to do so the scythe wielder had no idea, but Weiss' skin simultaneously paled and flushed at the sight.

"D'you think we can do this more often? I like it." Weiss' eyes shot very speedily to their flank to look at their friends and the group of children at their side, then back to the girl she was laying with on the floor.

"We'll need to redo the list then," Weiss reminded her in a hushed voice, clearly the list was for their eyes only.

"Aw, do we have to?"

"Yes, you dolt."

"I'm your dolt."

"Ugh, I wish sometimes I _wasn't_ Heiress to the SDC, otherwise I would have been all up for this a year ago. I just don't want to disappoint Father any more than I probably already am until after I've graduated and am no longer tied by his rule."

"Just hurry up and graduate already so I can kiss you. I can't wait any longer." Weiss leaned in and whispered something in the brunette's ear that made her heart flutter in joy.

"If we're rewriting the list, we may move a few other things around as well."

"When did _you two_ get together-together?" Nora almost screamed at the top of her lungs, causing a large number of people - Blake and Velvet included - to clutch their heads in pain at the intense noise. "Sorry..."

"We're not," the pair affirmed to her at the same time.

"At least, not together-together," the Heiress finished. Ruby followed up with an explanation of their relationship.

"See, Weiss Dad's a bit strict when it comes to this sort of thing.

"A _vast_ oversimplification of his actions, to be sure, but essentially."

"So, when we discussed it we weren't sure what we were going to do. Blake and Yang suggested we at least tell Winter, Weiss' sister, and ask her opinion; turns out, she'd been in a very similar situation. Her advice was to set out very strict rules that we could work our way through as time progressed. So, we did that. We've been 'together' since Summer Break between our First and Second Year, it gave us the most time we could to figure things out. One thing that was written in right at the start was when we'd tell you and when we'd tell tell him."

"He was first, understandably. My Father would shut the relationship down before it even got running if he could, but the slower we took things beforehand the better chance we'd have at earning his approval, however half-assed it may be." There were a few stifled giggles from the younger listeners.

"Weiss, kids. No swears." With an "Eep!", she threw her hands over her mouth and remained silent.

"Wow, so you've been going, like, _REEEAAALLLLLLYYY_ slow then."

"Neither of us want to, but yeah."

"I know the feeling." Nora shot a less than subtle wink at Ren, who rolled his eyes at the gesture. As that whole conversation was going on, Blake and Yang were sat down on the floor with a bunch of the kids surrounding them, all gazed fixed on the couple.

"What happened then?" a little Badger Faunus asked, everyone else nodding enthusiastically at her question.

"It was quite a rough ride. Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes," came the choral reply from those listening.

"Are you _sure?_ "

"Yes!"

"Are. You..."

"Yang, stop teasing them. Tell them the story."

"You're no fun. So, we were still 17 at the time, it was Spring and we were tasked to track down this giant nest of Grimm. We were expecting a large nest of them, we weren't expecting one this big though." Some of the children gasped at the prospect. Yang had slipped into storytelling mode, her voice rising and falling whenever it needed, pausing at the right moments for effect. All those years effectively being Ruby's unofficial mother meant this sort of thing was a regular occurrence for her when she was small, and it carried over. "There were nearly 100 Grimm there that day, and it was just myself and Blake there to fight them all."

"Did you die?" a voice came from the back.

"Yes, we did," Blake answered completely deadpanned. "But, something amazing happened."

"What? What happened? Tell us, please!"

"I will, just be patient," she calmly said. "When I said that we had died, we weren't completely 'bleh'." On that, Blake relaxed her neck completely, letting her head fall backwards, she dropped her arms by her side, her tongue came out and her amber eyes rolled back into her head. She waited for the giggles to die down again before she sprung back up and continued her story as if nothing had happened. "No, our bodies were in ruins and our spirits were all but shattered, we may as well have been dead. But we saw something."

"Something that made everything better."

"Something that made us want to fight until the next fight."

The answered together, linking their hands as they did. "Her." There was a chorus of gasps as the children registered what the two women said.

"So, you are in love with a human?"

"Yup."

"And she is a Huntress?"

"One of the best in our year."

"And you still love her, even though she is those things?"

"Listen kid," Yang added before Blake could speak again, her voice still calm and gentle but with an air of annoyance in it, "the world ain't black and white. Love's the same. We love each other for who we are, not what we represent. When I found out what Blake was and what she had done in the past, I was angry, sure - for all of an hour. Two at best. I'd do anything for her, as I know she'd do for me. We're so opposite and that's what makes us special."

"I'm the moon, whilst she is the sun. She's selfless, I've been selfish-"

"Blakey, that's not true."

"We've gone over this, it _is_ true. Well, it _was_. Ever since we got these, most of our traits have started spilling into one another." Blake lowered herself and bared her shoulder to the children, who all stared at the tattoo like pattern of Blake's Mate Mark. Yang followed suit, proving that they were sharing that mark.

"That is so cool!" one Faunus kid shouted.

"Can you make it do the glowy thing?" another asked, a small dark haired Cat Faunus.

"I wanna play with the one with the big hammer," a third chimed.

"Nuh uh, _I_ wanted to go to her first," a fourth countered. A large group of children either ran off to go 'play with' others out of diversity in these activities they were doing or boredom of their current one. All that were left after that were the two students and the smaller Cat Faunus who asked them about the Mark's glow. She shuffled forwards, being the only one there, and looked very closely at Yang's Mark as Blake flared an emotion to cause it to glow.

_Happy._

"That's so awesome! My Mommy and Daddy used to show me their Marks when I was younger." Blake's ears perked up at the one bit of happy news she'd received in the last hour or so.

"They had Mate's Marks too? That's pretty amazing. Most Faunus spend their entire lives without a Mate. They must be so happy."

"Until Mommy died, they were very happy."

_Shock._

Neither one of them were expecting the kid to drop that bombshell at all.

"I miss her. Daddy said it felt like he could still feel Mommy on his shoulder." Instinctively, Blake leaned forward and grabbed the child. Being a Cat Faunus herself, along with her Mother before her, she recalled how Kali used to rub her cheek along her face and purr, and it made everything seem all better. So that's what Blake did.

"You'll be alright." She rubbed and purred, halting the imminent tears before they even surfaced. "We're not your Mommy, but we'll look after you until you get to your Daddy." Yang joined her, hugging onto the little girl and comforting her in her own way. Blake continued for no more than 30 seconds before she felt Yang's emotions burst through her once more.

_Pride. Maternal._

A brief amount of confusion coursed through the older Cat Faunus, but it was gone within a couple of heartbeats. Instead, Blake looked up at Yang, who was beaming like a madwoman, because she had felt Blake's emotions a few seconds before hers were broadcast to her partner.

_Nostalgia. Calm. Maternal._

They both felt the same way - a motherly instinct when it came to making sure of this girl's safety and to make her feel like there were women out there for her - and as such, they were going to have a long conversation about it once this had all blown over.

"Ms Scarlatina!" Velvet paused halfway through one of her tales to look at the voice of Glynda Goodwitch off in the distance, and upon seeing who she was standing next to bounded up and ran towards the weak body of her girlfriend. One of her arms was wrapped around the blonde Huntress' shoulder and the other holding onto her head right by a nasty cut she'd received when the kick came; it's what occasionally happens when you're attacked out of the blue and aren't focussed enough to flare your Aura up.

"Coco! What happened? Are you alright? Where's-"

"Taken..." she muttered. Worried she'd misheard it, slight more worried she'd heard it correctly, Velvet asked again what she said. "Neo was taken... There when the bomb went off, kick to the head, gone afterwards, ow..."

"Hey, take it easy." She flared her Aura, sending encouraging thoughts and feelings through the Mark.

"You can't hide your fear from me that way Velvs," Coco reminded her, having clearly felt the fear through the link even though she couldn't see her - wherein the fear was pretty clear for all to see anyway.

"I agree with Ms Adel here, leave the Mark alone and focus on pooling your Aura rather than your feelings. If you want, you can make your way to the Infirmary whilst I look after the children here - I'm sure they'll be delighted to have patients not an hour into the new academic year." Glynda wasn't fazed by the Marks on the couple, nor on Blake and Yang; her teammates back when she was a student got together and had Mates Marks in their final few terms, so she knew a fair amount about them. With a nod and a grin, Velvet ushered her girlfriend to the Infirmary as Goodwitch made her way to the rest of the students and children, a previously unseen piece of paper folded in her off hand. "Mr Alistair?" Fox looked up and saw Goodwitch there, so has to break away from the kids he was with to speak to her. "Orchid still is your girlfriend, correct?"

"She is, yes. Why?"

"Well, whilst it would be ever so slightly unprofessional for me to do so, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't worried for her personal safety. Orchid is a good friend of mine and the closest I have been to a student since I was one myself - I know, unprofessional, but I digress. We both know that against a large number of people she would be fine, especially if they were mostly, slash all, children with little fighting experience like these little ones here. But there were no such other large groups anywhere that weren't being dealt with by other students. At least, none anywhere near where I found Coco and where Orchid would have most likely been taken. What worried me the most was the note that was written and left with Ms Adel when I found her." Fox took the paper from Glynda, read through it and let his anger boil up to the surface.

_Taking her home, she's grounded. RT_

"Torchwick..." the young man growled, crumbling the paper into a ball in his fist.


	6. Tempat Yang Tidak Diketahui, Bahkan Judul Babnya dalam Bahasa yang Berbeda

_What... what's going on?_

The first thoughts that circled round Neo's head remained there long after they were first thought. Her eyes were heavy, so much so that the usually simple act of opening them was a real task. But when she eventually managed to get them open, she sorely wished she'd kept them shut. All she saw was purple. The supports that held the room up were a deep violet in colour, as was the table she seemed to be strapped to. The sky was constantly dark out, but the clouds shone with a reddish-purple glow that gave the impression of blood. There had to be a way out of here; Roman was smart, but not smart enough to know that chains wouldn't work on her.

"I wouldn't try and escape my dear," a voice came from behind her. The refined accent gave Neo the impression of what the man was like before he even came into view, and on seeing him was impressed with how close he was to how she imagined him. Doctor Arthur Watts stood there, his green eyes trained on the woman in front of him. One hand typed away on his Scroll - which seemed to be custom made to match his colour scheme of black, red and yellow - whilst the other scratched his moustache. "I also wouldn't struggle. Whilst it will make my job much more difficult, even though it already will be, I wouldn't want any unnecessary attention from our friends outside." His cryptic words made the mute turn her head to see what he meant, and that's when her irises turned a ghostly white.

Grimm.

Hordes of Grimm, spawning from pools of some tar-like substance on the ground; fresh, new and eager to kill, but sluggishly slow. She did her utter best to calm her emotions and avert the attention of the slow-moving mass of darkness that waited on the other side of the wall.

 _Think Neo, what would you normally do? Well, first off - where are you? Then, how would you contact your team to tell them? I don't remember anything like-_ Her train of thought was cut by a man jumping onto the table she was one, one leg landing either side of her frame, crazy golden eyes leaning in and staring right at her. Truth be told, if she could make sounds, she would have at least yelped in surprise.

"Hohoho, what do we have _here?_ Is this your new plaything?"

"Yes, Tyrian, it is." The crazier one, Tyrian, looked at his companion, then turned his attention back to her, menacing grin plastered over his face.

"And how are you going to kill this one? Can I help? I know some _really_ good ways of-"

"Killing will not be necessary, Tyrian." The man's expression changed in an instant, jumping off and landing at the foot of the table. He bowed, clearly this person was someone he respected. Or feared. Or both.

"My Queen, forgive me. I did not know what-" she clearly stopped him; though Neo didn't see that, the way his sentence cut off mid thought was more than enough indication.

"She will not be killed, not unless she disobeys me, and I end up doing it myself." The figure moved into the view of the mute, and she felt her skin run cold. Yup, definitely someone to be feared. Neo may need to retract her thoughts of Goodwitch being The Scariest Thing on Remnant. "Do you know who I am, child?" Neo nodded, for that was all she could do. "Was it Cinder who told you?" Another nod. "I'm glad she still knew her place then. Such a shame really. She had so much potential..." That didn't sound good, and Neo knew that this was the sort of person where every little action and change in the voice had its reason. "Though her replacement was far better at capturing you than what she had attempted."

"Well, I do try my best." Now that voice she knew. "How are you feeling, Neo?" Roman asked, not even caring for the answer but also knowing that, because her arms were tied and her voice was non-existent, he wasn't going to get an answer anyway.

"Have you any inclination as to why you may have sparked our interest in you... Neo, was it?" A shake for no. "Good." Salem turned to Arthur. "Give her a small dose, see how she fairs. We'll increase it as time continues." The moustached man grinned and nodded, moving forward and placing two bracelets on her wrists, something she was incapable of stopping from happening. "Normally Neo, I'd want to do things my way - using Grimm to infect your mind and alter your judgement. But you already have a vicious streak like that in you, so Roman tells me. So, we're going for a much more classic approach." Once the bracelets were secured, Watts grinned again and pressed a button atop a control he'd taken out of his pocket. There was a brief hum, that quickly made way for a large surge of electricity centred on the two wrist mounted devices she was now wearing, pain flowing through her body along with the current. A few seconds later, the shocking stopped and she hunched over, panting.

"That was a small dose, just something to get you familiar with the idea of what's going to happen to you when you step out of line."

"Take your time Neo," Roman mocked, "fight against everything she throws at you, 'cause the longer you resist, the more Arthur here gets to shock you, and the more fun I have watching your sorry ass squirm in pain." All she could do to convey her disdain was raise a middle finger on her hand closest to the bowler hat wearing criminal. "Tsk, tsk, Neo. It seems you'll never learn." The hum sounded again, finishing at a higher pitch than before and another shock came, this time with greater intensity and for longer. The bracelets even started to visibly spark with the intensity. Her mouth flew open in pain, and tears fell from her eyes as she was forced to endure. Oum, she wished she could scream right now. It's all she wanted. That, or the arms of her boyfriend wrapped around her telling her that everything will be okay.

Salem simply observed.

* * *

Team CFVY had regrouped in the Infirmary after the battle. Coco was nursing her head injury, though Velvet was allowed to be next to her and help by channelling Aura through to her to aid the mend. Fox and Yatsuhashi joined them after half an hour, once Glynda and eventually Ozpin rounded up the children outside and sent them off somewhere safe. Teams JNPR and RWBY went with them to the door, then parted outside. The RW had some alterations to their 'Relationship Rules' books that needed seeing to, and the BY had a long talk ahead of them, so they mentioned they were going to head into Vale for coffee/tea, lunch and their talk. JNPR had been asked to speak to the new First Years, so they were off there to do so. And CFVY sat in the Infirmary, the girls huddled together in bed, the boys sat in chairs either side of the bed.

"How could he do that?" Fox shouted, still very raw and annoyed from the revelation earlier. "Neo was the most skilled one in that group, how could Roman Torchwick kidnap her?" The other three were in two minds about speaking, not wanting to make things worse for their friend and teammate. After a long silence, they finally spoke.

"Fox... Neo wasn't taken easily."

"You say that like it makes it better."

"Hey!" Coco may have been hit in the head, but that didn't mean she was out for the count. "If I could have helped her, I would! But a compact Dust Bomb went off at our feet, then I was kicked in the head when my Aura was down. How'd you help your girlfriend when that had happened to you?" The Faunus at her side tried to de-escalate the situation.

"Coco, that's-"

"No, he needs to hear this. And I don't care if he's heard it before, he's going to listen to me say it. The world does not revolve around you Fox. Neo is gone, she was taken right from my grasp. I didn't want that, but it happened. And we are going to have to move on from that."

"Oh, what? I give up on my girlfriend now, because she's not here?"

"Let me fucking finish, damn it! We move on; we accept that Neo is gone for now, and so we go and get her back."

"Whilst I don't appreciate the language," Ozpin mentioned, once again appearing out of nowhere at the right time to insert himself into the conversation, "I would want to agree with you. Unless you have absolutely no choice, which is not the case here, you should never leave a teammate. So, I'd advise you to go find her. However, Professor Goodwitch informs me that you were on the way to the Tower to confirm your choice for your first mission this year, is that correct?"

"It was, yes sir."

"Now, here is the predicament. Telling me that, I've accepted you to that mission. But as you are that simply won't be the case. So I can postpone the start of the mission for a week, at best. Afterwards you must either hand the mission over to another team or take it on regardless of your numbers. I know how much completing a certain part of this mission means to Ms. Russet, so equally I know how much you want her back before you head out. But, for your own safety and my sanity, I hereby place you under strict orders to remain within the school premises for at least 3 days, starting today. That way, recovery should be all but complete for yourself, Ms Adel, and you can plan your course of action from there. Now, if you'll excuse me." And like that, he was gone again.

"I hate it when he does that..." Yatsuhashi muttered.

"Hey, you said it."

"You were thinking it."

"True."

"So, what do you guys want to do?"

"Well," Fox rose from his seat, stretched a little bit and picked up his weapons from beside the seat, "I'm going to go and train. I'll train until I've exhausted myself completely, crash back on my bed, then train again tomorrow and the day after, maybe even the day after that."

"And you know you'll burn through your Aura reserve like kindling." The Rabbit girl was especially skilled at Aura Studies, but that was basic stuff that even half-experienced First Years would know. "You can't train and train and then expect to go back to normal after that without at least a day off or two a week."

"I know, I know, I planned that out. Today and every other day, train myself to exhaustion, calm down, do it all again until I can't anymore, then crash. Tomorrow and every second day after that, small and basic training sessions in the morning and late afternoon with the rest of the day searching for possible locations of Neo."

"Commendable, but ultimately fruitless. We have, at most, six days to do anything before the mission at Four Seasons is handed off, you won't gain any benefit from training yourself to exhaustion in that time frame. If anything, you'll get yourself killed. For good this time."

"Just try and stop me Yatsu." With that, Fox left the room. Frustrated sighs came from all three remaining teammates simultaneously.

"We can't stop him," Velvet admitted. "He'd train harder if we tried." No one could come up with an excuse or counter argument to the statement. With reluctant defeat, they silently went back to what they were doing before - Coco recovering, Velvet pooling her Aura to help with that, Yatsuhashi meditating in the chair. "I just hope Neo's alright..."


	7. Thirty Seconds 'til Showtime

From the Infirmary, he made his way back to the dorm to grab some gym clothes so he could work out a little better. Arguably, not the best choice. The very first thing he noticed was Neo's stuff in their room. Hard not to really, considering their bed was closest to the middle of the room.

When Neo officially started, the pair of them shared his single bed for the rest of the academic year. When they started Year Three, Neo and Velvet both made requests to have their singles replaced with doubles. As such, when you walked in to the CFVYN dorm room you saw the Fox and Neo bed off centre to the left of the door, Coco and Velvet's more on the right of the room and Yatsuhashi's in the corner.

He saw her cuddle pillow - a pink, fluffy number with an ivory trim, hand-made herself (obviously), that she had not for resting her head on at night, but cuddling up against for movies and stories - situated where it always was, on her side of the bed.

He saw her Plushie, her cute little Griffon Plushie that he had won her when they went to the Vale Carnival their first summer together. He remembered it so clearly, it was a shooting range. "Think you got what it takes? 5 for a small gift, 8 for a medium, all 10 for a big prize!" The words rang through his ears as if someone had been there and recorded the entire interaction. ~ _Go on hun!_ ~ Neo would silently say, holding on to his arm and shaking it enthusiastically, like a kid in a toy store, only said kid wanted you to buy a toy instead. "Alright..." he reluctantly replied. He then sunk 8 targets and she silently cheered. "Pick one, my treat." That's how Ramsey the Griffon Plushie came to be. He found the sweet irony in that Plushie, the mere fact that he won that for her at a _shooting range_ of all places brought back happy memories of them.

But that's not what he came back to the dorm to do. He came to get his gym stuff and go to the Gym.

His drawer had the same twisted sense of humour as the room did, because the first thing he saw in the drawer was their hoodie. Well, it was technically his hoodie, she bought it for him when they got that basic casual wear when he first could see. But she wore it just as much as, if not more than, him that it became their hoodie. A smile crept to his lips when he remembered one time Neo almost managed to convince Velvet that she was going into Vale with their hoodie on, a tank top and a pair of shorts underneath, only for her to slip up and show off her bare behind to the Faunus. Neo was cursing gravity for the rest of the day when the Faunus took her straight to the nearest store to buy a set of underwear and trousers to cover her exposed bum.

But he wasn't here for that either. He pushed the hoodie to the side of the drawer and grabbed his gym clothes, got changed and headed there.

On the way there, he walked past a place on campus and spotted a couple walking along, holding hands and talking to the other with giant smiles on their faces. Neo was always like that. Every conversation they seemed to have, her face glowed with a radiant smile that was honestly infectious. One of those smiles that, even if you thought about it - like Fox was now - it brought a smile to your own face. With a violent shake of the head and a dissatisfied grunt, he purged that thought from his mind and set his sights on what he had come for.

The Gym was empty, as to be expected when an attack on the school had occurred not a few hours ago.

Perfect.

Fox could honestly do without the unnecessary distraction of other students. Setting down his bag in the provided locker, he made a beeline straight for the treadmill. If he was going to train himself to exhaustion, then this ought to get things going. No mucking around, he went straight to full-on slow run speed - 15km/h when he took it a little slower, 18.5km/h when he went full on - and ran for 10 minutes. By the end, he was feeling the burn, but it wasn't enough to get him breathing any heavier. As a Huntsman, you needed extraordinary endurance to be able to combat hordes of Grimm with no Aura help, so those who wanted to become one often trained from young ages to improve stamina. Other more pleasurable methods also helped, but that was beside the point. He didn't want to be a little bit warmed up, he wanted to almost be dragged out of here back to his dorm. So he jumped on again, going faster for longer. Still nothing major. He swore at the equipment and moved on.

Weights, that ought to do the trick. Grabbing a set of 10kg Bells, he went and did 25 reps, rested for 10 seconds, 25 reps, rest for 10, on and on until he had done 15 lots of 25. His arms felt nothing; no major lactic acid build up, no strain, just warm. It took all his might not to throw the dumbbells in annoyance. The punching bag may help him de-stress a little before he tried something else. He went for it, practically jumping from the weight rack to the bag and started laying fast and heavy punches into the leather exterior of the Ultra-Heavy bag. Ever since Yang first came to Beacon, simple Heavy bags broke in a few swings, especially if she came here to let off steam. They tried their Extra-Heavy bags, but they didn't last long either. So, they created Ultra-Heavy bags. It was composed of a prototype new material used in Atlas Military Vehicles to be lightweight, yet incredibly resistant to damage. Sadly, this prototype was made as durable as what they had intended, but also was the complete opposite of lightweight - it was denser that basically every other known material on Remnant. Whilst originally considered a failure, upon learning of a need for a very strong, dense and durable metal via a call with Ozpin, General Ironwood sent 10 brand new punching bags with their inner lining composed of their new alloy - Knallhartium. The chains suspending the bag rocked in the ceiling, dust coming down where the supports rocked uneasily under the constant strain of such ferocious attacks. He kept going until he really worked up a sweat and was panting heavily. Then he pushed on and did more. By the time someone else had turned up, the floor around him was visibly wet from the sweat pouring off of him.

He wasn't done, far from it. He may have been sweating buckets and panting heavily, but he hadn't collapsed yet. He needed a challenge. And he spotted it. He walked over to the Holo-Arena and keyed in his pass code for entry. The Holo-Arena used Hard Light Dust in a similar vein to Velvet and her weapon to create copies of creatures of Grimm that could be used as "living" practice dummies for students who wanted a more active challenge. The only real downside to it was that the Holo-Arena was much less refined than Velvet's camera; one needed only to create a working copy of a weapon, whereas the other had to completely mimic the movements, attack patterns and styles, and overall demeanour of living creatures.

His chosen Grimm took a while to fully materialise, but that was the beauty of the machine. Well, beauty to some. Whilst they were still loading in, their consciousness is enabled and so they can still attack you and it still hurts if they do, but you can't attack back. It was an unintentional glitch in the system, but one that had been implemented as part of the programming in all future models with adjustable settings. In this, the original model with no adjustable settings, it meant that for about 30 seconds after they gained artificial sentience, you could do nothing but dodge and evade. Those 30 seconds dragged for Fox as the 4 Beowolf Alphas he'd programmed to spawn took forever.

1 second after - the Alphas started circling, their ghostly white forms very pale and still very much see-through, but you could tell they were there.

2 seconds after - Fox pulled the wrap around his hand tighter, even though he was hitting hard light Grimm, it was going to give a bit of sensory feedback.

3 seconds - sound system started to boot up in the Holo-Arena.

4 seconds in and already the Beowolves looked ready to attack.

5, 6 and 7 seconds were about the same, although more noise was heard from the hard light monsters.

Their growls were completely audible at 8 seconds.

On the 9th second, the Alpha on Fox's left flank roared a battle cry.

One third of the way there, and they became very obviously more visible.

11 seconds in and the roar stopped and the pounce was readied.

When the timer hit 12 seconds gone, the first Beowolf attacked.

A claw swiped for Fox on second 13.

The scarred boy was airborne after 14 seconds.

Halfway there - a second Alpha leapt towards Fox, who was unable to really get out of the way.

16 seconds - boy and hard light collided in mid-air.

17 seconds in - boy and Holo-Arena wall meet.

After 19 seconds, boy and Holo-Arena floor are reintroduced to one another.

Fox craned his neck upwards with 10 seconds left of dodging to go, spotting 2 hard light Grimm advancing.

He was rolling away from a crushing blow that hit the ground hard with 22 seconds gone.

Tired copper brown eyes made contact with lifeless glowing ones at 23 seconds.

By 24 seconds, Fox had sussed out which one was the ringleader of the Alphas.

5 seconds left, and he pulled himself up off the floor, the 'main' Alpha on his right.

26 seconds in - a sharp out breath came, as did the pump of wrists to unfold the weapon from its bracelet state.

Another roar from his left with 27 seconds gone.

Gauntlets completely unfolded at 28 seconds, Fox pushed all his weight onto his legs.

At 29 seconds, that weight was expelled through his feet, forcing him in the air hurtling towards the 'main' Alpha.

After a long 30 seconds, every Beowolf, regardless of their current fighting situation, glowed a new, healthy blue.

On the 31st second, Fox's left Gauntlet made contact with the face of the main Alpha of the group. Now things were starting to turn in Fox's favour again. Time moved forward, each second bleeding into one rather than every single one punctuated like a sentence, standing on their own merit. The punch knocked the Alpha back, but not by much as the bone like skull plating bore the brunt of the impact, yet there was still enough force there to give it something to think about - if it could think. Fox used the momentum he had to grab hold of the recently punched Alpha and used its body as a springboard to bounce to the next Grimm. The next Alpha attempted to bite at its incoming prey, but bullets from his Gauntlets stopped its advances. Two fists crashed into the throat of the creature, causing it to fall back in pain. The copper haired boy steadied himself on the neck, then backflipped upwards from it, bringing foot and face together to leave the latter worse off of the two. The creature stumbled back even more, and Fox flicked the switch to bring his blades to the front of his weapons. As he jumped back at the dark creature, he dodged two swings from two of the other Alphas, then plunged the blades back into the neck of it. In one final movement, he threw his arms out sideways, decapitating the beast.

"One down," he puffed, "three to go..."

As the hard light Alpha disappeared from existence behind him, he eyed up his remaining enemies. The 'main' Beowolf Alpha with the cracked skull plate, and two completely untouched Alphas. He let his Aura flow down to his feet as he pushed off the ground, throwing his body forward into the fray. First instincts were to attack the damaged one, and as it was the unofficial leader of the remaining three it'd also be a tactical advantage. Sadly, they all had other ideas. One took a hard swipe at him, narrowly dodged when he rolled underneath the bony claw, whilst the other made a grab for him, which almost caught him had he not jumped away. There was however the matter of the third creature, who dove into the back of the Fourth Year student and knocked the wind out of him and grounded him face down out of their way. The three of them menacingly stalked up behind him, their hard light legs making no sound when they impacted the floor but their artificial breathing and snarling still heard through the speaker systems.

The 'main' Alpha jumped at him, aiming both its claws at his chest. With a cry, he retracted his blades back so that they were behind his fists again, then brought them up to protect himself, the added length of the blades would have made things much more difficult to defend against the claws, what with there being more leverage room. The struggle lasted longer than he would have liked, the Alpha snarling down at him as it thought it had the upper hand after a while. One button press and one trigger pull on each hand saw the blades extending again and his arms firing outwards with enough force to slice away the hands of the beast, the roar of pain hurting his ears. Seeing an opportunity to level the playing field even more, the young man rocked backwards onto his shoulders, then sprung from the floor upwards, his feet colliding with its jaw just like its brethren before. Having stumbled into the back wall, Fox knew it wouldn't be getting in the way any time soon, so he only had two more of these to deal with.

He stayed still, blades dropped like extensions of his own arm hanging by his side, his stance lowered to the ground so that if he needed to move he could do so with enough speed to get away rather than having to drop and _then_ jump away. His breaths were incredibly heavy and, on further inspection, his Aura was running in the low yellow region, bordering on orange. Just what he wanted. The Alpha on his right gave a roar and charged at him. Because his legs were already coiled like a spring, it didn't take much effort to effortlessly fly over the monster's head, landing a couple of slices on the bony back of the beast. When he landed, the shot himself towards the other untouched, dodging left and right to avoid its attacks. His mind was laser focussed on dispatching this beast then moving on to the next, so much so that he didn't realise the other Beowolf construct was biting at his core until the hard light teeth had clamped around his body. His cry of pain was muffled by the walls of the Holo-Arena, but what sound did escape them echoed through the Gym, much like his cries in the Museum back in his Second Year.

 _Maybe Yatsu was right... I really_ _ **am**_ _going to kill myself. I'm sorry Neo. I'm sorry I let you do-_ the teeth vanished, as did the other Alphas and Fox fell to the floor, impacting the metal hard. The doors shot open and two people ran up to him.

"Are you insane?!"

"Don't answer, we know already!" His eyes strained to see, which was odd because he's pretty sure they're completely open. He didn't care anymore though, he wanted to fall asleep. So he did.


	8. Blurry

"Watts." The humming ended an entire octave higher than when it had first rung in her ears, and it felt like the pain had equally jumped up an entire level as well. Electricity literally arced from the devices all over her body when it started. Neo felt hairs being individually singed with each and every shock. She wanted to escape, but every shock was worse, she knew that'd keep going until her eye's boiled in her head, her nerves fried and her brain exploded, so she gave up soon after.

"The best part is," the moustachioed Doctor explained to his superior, "is that each bracelet contains a small vial of an Aura Suppressant, and an Aura Replenisher not too dissimilar to those rudimentary 'Aura Shots' they get given at the Hospitals. She can struggle all she wants, waste all the energy she wants, but one shock will calm and also revitalise the woman, meaning she can be controlled easier and at much nearer full strength than before the shock." He stared at the woman crumpled on the table she still remained on, her wrists raw from the lacerations she gave herself from trying to escape, though they would fade when her Aura got around to it.

"Most impressive Doctor." Salem basically glided over to the mute on the table, standing next to the ice cream girl and glaring down at her body. "You will break eventually. But no matter, I am willing to wait. Doctor Watts here is a genius beyond his time. He took the Relic and used it in the most fascinating ways. The room you are residing in? Time in here moves 20 times faster than it does in the outside world. 1 second out there is 20 in here, after they experience only 72 minutes of their day, we would have seen the entirety of ours. You get the picture I hope. That means that we have 20 times longer to break you. And that is what will happen. We will break you, or we will kill you." The ashen skinned woman turned to leave, the well-spoken Doctor following suit. "For all of our sakes Neo, don't make us kill you. It would be easier for everyone if you remained alive." And with that, the doors to her room shut once again.

The tear stains were becoming part of her attire now, what with how frequently they'd appear. It had been 2 and a half days since she woke up here, so by that logic it would have been only just approaching the 3 hours mark for her team and friends back at Beacon. Why couldn't she escape? She normally could. Part of her, the old part - not Orchid, nor the new Neo, but the one in between, the one that killed with no remorse - wanted to stay, wanted to see what they had in store for her. She fought against those urges, but they felt like they were surfacing time and time again, pushing stronger and harder every time.

She felt colder.

Not literally (although it wasn't exactly tropical conditions where she was), but she felt like the old Neo, the cold hearted killer for hire. She didn't want that. Even if she didn't know exactly what her large scale game plan was, she knew that bringing the old Neo back was on the board as a stitch in the fabric of her grand scheme. There was one thing that kept her holding on to reality. Fox. As her grip on it slowly loosened and her old life returned to the forefront, one thought crossed her mind.

' _I can't live without us._ '

* * *

"I can't live without us." It didn't take long for Fox to admit that to Nylan and Viola, the two Second Years who saved him from his own gruesome death at the hands of a hard light Beowolf Alpha pack, after he regained consciousness. "But something's wrong..."

"Yeah, your mind's gone," Nylan half joked, "no one in their right frame of mind would try to take on 4 Beowolf Alphas on their own with no one there to either spot for them, or be there as back-up!"

"Yeah, you are lucky Nylan and I came past here, else you probably would have ended up as a nice red stain on the floor." They may have been younger by a couple of years, but Fox still felt like he was being scolded by his parents. Ashamed at his self-destructive choice of coping, the scarred man hung his head in shame. Not too long after he did that, a sharp pain was sent through his brain, a kind he hadn't felt before. With an audible grimace, he fell to one knee and clutched his head, the two girls holding onto him to stop the fall.

~ _Fox..._ ~

A disembodied voice echoed through his mind, but one he knew the source of. "Neo!" he called, confusing and frightening the Second Year students by his side.

~ _Can't forever... losing... fight..._ ~

Then, silence again. He opened his eyes and saw... he wasn't sure what he saw. The young man screamed almost involuntarily at what was in front of him, staring at his own hands in terror. Holding them at arm's length, they were no longer crystal clear. There was a blurry haze around them. He glanced up and sure enough his vision had indeed deteriorated, the far wall of the Gym was completely blurred away.

"What's up buddy?"

"I... my sight is..." the words fought their way up his throat, almost like they refused to be said aloud. "I need to speak with Ozpin, would you mind helping me get there?" The girls nodded, draped one of his arms over a shoulder each and started heading to the Tower. Viola grabbed his things as they passed, and slowly the fatigued Fourth Year made his way to Ozpin's Office with the Second Years helping him along the way.

The ride up the Tower was always something he'd disliked, even when he was blind. Something about the way the metal around him always seemed a little off. He could never put a finger on it then, and even in his current state now he felt the same way. Everything was different for him again. He'd been so used to using his semblance to get a basic idea of the layout of the world around him that when his sight was granted to him he wasn't too bad with things, just caught off guard by all the colours and beauty of the world. Now, roughly 16 months down the line from the first time he could see, he'd all but neglected to use his semblance at the frequency he used to and as such never relied on it anymore to see, unless he needed to check for hidden people, a trait that wasn't as uncommon as people think at the moment - mostly due to adaptive camouflage being an "in thing" in the world of combat fashion. A task as simple as merely finding the right button on the elevator meant the dark skinned boy had to lean right in close to the wall and find the button with the right number.

"What the hell is happening to me?" he groaned, rubbing his strained temple. As the doors slid open at the top of the Tower, Fox knew he'd walked in on a conversation he maybe shouldn't have been around to hear.

"- Fang are using _children_ , Oz! We can't afford to keep believing we're still in the lap of luxury where no bad will ever come of anything."

"I understand your concerns General, but this is neither the time nor the place to be voicing them."

"This is the _perfect_ time Oz! There are..." the man stopped, his holographic image caught a glimpse of the student approaching slowly from behind them. "Maybe it _isn't_ a good time. Seems you have company." Glynda and Ozpin turned to see Fox make his way to the pair. "We can discuss this at a later date." With that, his likeness faded away.

"Mr Alistair, there had better be a darn good explanation for why you came up here and interrupted us during an important call to General Ironwood," Glynda threatened. Most days, Fox would have run and hidden at her expression, a look that made any man or woman who knew what was good for them flee in terror. But now that he once again couldn't see far enough in front of him to notice the glare, he continued forward without hesitation. Sadly for him, also without a great deal of depth perception. He stumbled a bit as he approached, then eased his way forward with his arms extended out in front like a zombie to stop himself falling flat on his face if he were to fall. Both adults noticed, the female walking up to him and leading him towards the chair on the near side of the desk opposite the Headmaster's.

"Mr Alistair, is something the matter?"

"Is there something wrong with my eyes?" he asked, cutting straight to the point. His hopes were that if _he_ was to the point, then maybe _Ozpin_ would do the same, rather than skirt around the question posed. The blonde stared at him for all but 3 seconds before she deduced what was wrong, whereas Ozpin didn't actually look - or at least, Fox _thought_ he didn't look - but rather took Goodwitch's explanation and did what he thought best.

"Fox, when you were with your girlfriend, Orchid - or would you prefer I called her Neo at the moment?"

"Either's fine, just please explain."

"When you were with Neo, how did you feel physically? Did you notice any differences at all?"

"I guess... I kind of felt different from before. Like, whole - to an extent."

"I see." Signature mug in hand, the Headmaster took a sip and continued. "Fox, you are losing your sight again." The young man gasped, sweat forming on his brow in an instant. "I strongly suggest you resort back to your old methods of seeing for the future. Right now, I believe you are owed what I believe is the truth of the situation."

 _Why does he sound so calm about this?_ he huffed.

"Your being together seemed far more than a simple accident. Whilst that is all it may have been, it seemed to me too convenient to ignore. The woman was a known criminal with many unspeakable acts against her name. So I kept a close eye on you over the time you had been together and pulled up... nothing. There was absolutely no indication that there were any hidden motives to her being with you. It truly was an accident, and her feelings for you are fuelled with genuine affection. And so, the bond between you became very closely weaved together. Now that she is gone, that weave is unthreading and your lives are spiralling back down the paths they came from. I of course don't know for sure if Neo _is_ going down that route, but if you are then I can assume you know she is most likely in the same situation."

"But then how-"

"I know, I know; 'How come this didn't happen before?' Well one thing is for certain, you parted each other's company by choice before, correct?" The copper haired boy nodded. "But now, you have been torn apart, essentially, by force."

"I fail to understand sir, sorry."

"That is quite enough evidence for me already to figure out that wherever Neo is, she is being kept separated from the outside world, most likely in a room sealed away. And judging by how far your eyesight has deteriorated in the short amount of time she had been gone, I'd say that our enemy has found one of the Relics."

"Relics? Enemy? Sir, what does this have to do with Neo's safety or my sight? Because if the answer is none then please get back to it!"

"Mr Alistair, please refrain from that; I am trying to help you know." With an annoyed grunt, the scarred boy relaxed back in the chair. "Thank you. Now, the Relics are artefacts from times long past, singularities of the basic functions of the Universe. Whilst Dust is the physical manifestation of the elements, Relics are physical manifestations of functions. There are said to be four, and the one I believe that Neo is near to can slow down or speed up a person or small area indefinitely. I would think that our enemy - a person who you should know is there, but not their name for your own safety - has found a way to harness its power and trap Neo in a room where time had been dilated. Her time passes as our does for her, but to her we travel at a snail's pace. In reality, she would spend proportionally more time in the box than time had passed outside it."

"And the lack of vision?" Sighing heavily, Ozpin concluded.

"Whatever they're doing to her, your mental connection is being severed. If we can't act quickly, it may be too late to save her or your eyesight." Fists clenched as Fox wanted so desperately to slam his hands into something, someone, anyone... anyone apart from Glynda or Ozpin, that'd spell 'DOOMED!' in big bold letters printed on his forehead.

"I can't lose her..." he muttered under his breath, something he didn't realise Glynda heard until a hand rested on his shoulder.

"Fox, we are going to do our best to ensure her safety. Trust us." He nodded his head once in sadness, then rose and stepped away from them. They saw him pause after 6 steps, then he pivoted to face them once again.

"I heard her voice earlier..."

"What did she say?" the ever curious Headmaster asked.

"She said, 'Fox... Can't forever... losing... fight...'. I can guess what she means from what you've just said."

"And have you ever had long-distance between you and her using your personal telepathy before that instant?"

"Not without Scrolls." Aged and boring brown eyes stared at brilliant green as they knew they had a window of opportunity, if only they exploited it somewhat.

"Fox, I would like you to try and communicate with Neo, see what you can get from her information wise." The request was made with reluctance in his tone, but necessity in his words. "Our only hope for her - if she's where I think she may be - is for her to be sent out after us."

"I can... always try."

"Thank you. That'll be all for now. Please try to speak with and get as much information from her as you can; perhaps your proper partner can help you try and communicate with your romantic partner. Professor Goodwitch shall show you to the elevator." The crop wielder did as such, making sure he was in the metal box and that he was on the way down, wishing him the best of luck as the doors slid shut - he was going to need it. On the ride down he shut his eyes and focussed his Aura, much like he used to 2 years ago. Glows started forming in his vision, a sign that he was back to what he remembered sight to be like for so long. As doors opened, he saw two fairly prominent glows from a bench nearby, so he made his way to them. Sure enough, when he got closer, he heard the sounds of the two girls who escorted him hear coming from the pools of amber and burgundy Aura.

"Hey Fox," Viola said, jumping off her girlfriend's lap and stepping towards him, "how'd it go?"

"I need to get back to my dorm. I need Yatsu there, and I need him fast." He finished the sentence with a smirk, knowing full well they knew what he was inferring.

"Which one was 'Yatsu' again?" Nylan asked with an air of frustration that was, admittedly, only fleeting.

"Yatsuhashi is the 7ft tall man with the deep voice and giant sword." She felt stupid for asking. Her girlfriend gave her a quick but reassuring peck on the cheek.

"Go get him, girl!" With a smirk, Nylan skipped backwards a couple of steps, then turned and started running. Fox had never seen her run before (and in all seriousness, still hadn't even now) but the speed at which her Aura disappeared from here was mind boggling. "Back to your dorm, you said?"

"Uh huh, I've got to try and have a talk with my girlfriend." He started heading back towards the dorms before Viola jumped up beside him and placed her hand on his chest.

"Whoa, whoa, sweet child of mine! Where are you going on your own?"

Responding like it was the most obvious question on Remnant, Fox replied with, "Uh, my dorm."

"You can't see more than a few metres ahead of you anymore."

"Well, I take it Neo didn't spill the beans on my semblance then, did she?"

"No... why?" Fox shot the young team leader a toothy grin, then wrapped his arm around her shoulder and started walking to the dorm.

"C'mon kid, I've got some talking to do, and there's a sizeable walk between here and the dorm." The Second Year grumbled a response, one Fox acknowledge, but paid no mind to the contents of.


	9. Talking it All Out

Footsteps running at them down the hall, getting ever closer was a sound that would set anyone on edge, especially given the speed at which they were approaching. Yatsuhashi stood between Velvet and the incapacitated Coco, and the door. His Greatsword barely fit inside the room when it was on his back, so he kept it by his chair instead. Grabbing the handle, he readied himself for an attack, eyes darting left and right to spot his attacker. To his surprise, it was the Cheetah Faunus from some of Neo's classes Nylan who came running past. Spotting the giant just as she zoomed past the door, she planted her feet and skidded to a complete stop. Sadly, that didn't happen as quick as she would have like and she continued sliding right until she almost collided with the side of a cleaning cart. A couple instances of her repeating "Sorry" later, the girl finally made her way to the room.

"Can we help you?" Velvet asked, peering around her significantly taller teammate.

"Yeah. Well, not you. Big guy here is needed."

"What exactly do you need me for?" Nylan recoiled slightly at his voice.

"Fuck me, your voice _is_ deep!"

"Think that's bad?" Coco added, poking her head around the other side of the man's body, "imagine him on karaoke night with decent speakers and subwoofers."

"No thanks. I like my ears when they are not bleeding, and my insides don't need shaking up like a cocktail."

"I see it no different to others flexing their upper voice," the bass stated, ignoring the younger girl's comment, "hitting squeaky high notes can only go so far before it becomes painful. My feats are arguably more impressive."

"Uh huh, keep telling yourself that, big guy. You just like showing off on karaoke night," Coco stated, "that's all." 

"I'd like to hear _you_ try and sing 'Wayfaring Stranger' just like [he](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNVj8A07F4A) does," Yatsuhashi argued.   


Brushing off the previous 10 seconds of dialogue, Nylan brought the attention back to her with a forced cough to get their attention.

"Fox needs you back in the dorm stat." The male in the group looked to his teammates, who smiled at him.

"Go on, we'll be fine. Fox'll be happy to see you if he's asked." The Cheetah's sudden intake of air caught everyone else's attention. "I'm sorry, was there something wrong with what I said?"

"Kind of... he... can't see anymore..."

"Excuse you?"

"Fox's eyesight is... fading, again. Long story short, something's happening with Neo, Fox's eyesight is fading because of it, and I need you to come with me to help Fox speak to Neo before she completely disappears and stuff."

"Wait, disappear?!" Velvet almost jumped at her brethren, catching her by surprise. She held her hands up and shook her head violently fast, trying really hard of finding a way she should un-speak what she just spoken.

"Sorry, no. Disappear was not the right word, but I don't - no, _we_ don't - have the time to think of the right one. Yatsuhashi, are you coming with me?" Taking long strides to step up to the Faunus, he turned as he moved and reassured his team.

"I will help where I can, you two get some rest." With that, they were gone. In her current state, Coco didn't need to be told twice to go to sleep. Neither did Velvet really, though the latter _did_ need to keep getting reassured that she needed to fall back asleep after waking up in the night.

* * *

"Okay, I get the fact that we'll all be glowing around you," the grey eyed girl mentioned, looking up from her Scroll to meet the once again milky eyes of the boy she accompanied back to his dorm, "but how can you tell who is who? I mean, there is no way on Remnant that I can be the _only person_ with a burgundy coloured Aura." Fox sat on his bed, with Viola waiting around with him. She was hanging around with the Fourth Year student not only as a way of keeping him company until his partner arrived to do... whatever it was they were doing, but also to try and clarify some of the things he said on the way over.

"It's not just the colours Viola, it's their moods as well. Every Aura has a mood, its own way of moving that's unique to every person, similar to how a weapon or a semblance is unique. So yeah, you're not the only person I know or have seen with a burgundy Aura."

"Yeah, and I still can-"

"But you're the only one with a burgundy Aura that... I don't know... breathes. It fills up your inner being, then deflates, and it repeats. And you are also the only person with a burgundy Aura that 'breathes' I'm sure I'll see that constantly hangs around with a Faunus with an amber Aura that also 'breathes' inside them." Silver eyes stared at him in shock. Did he just suggest what she thought he'd just suggested? The blind young man nodded with a smile, as if he'd heard her thoughts on the subject; that or he had read her expressions. "Yup, your Aura's complement each other's. They both breathe on their own, but together yours slows to a comfortable pace and hers picks up to better match yours, and the middle of your Aura when you're connected is a beautiful deep fiery orange. Not even Coco and Velvet or Blake and Yang have Auras that already matched when first meeting; they just adjusted to the other over time. You two, well..." He decided to finish the explanation there when he noticed Viola staring at him completely amazed - his sight may be all but gone, but he could still make out the familiar colour schemes of his friends and teammates. And now, he saw a bright crimson light emitting from the girl, her smile plastered on the Aura.

"Wow..." was all the girl managed through sheer amazement at the new information presented to her.

"Yeah. Speaking of features, you wanted to ask me something else."

"Hmm? Oh yeah, it was about the whole 'seeing their faces' thing - _how?!_ "

"Would you believe me if I said 'magic'?" he teased. The sparkle in her grey orbs told Fox that the teasing was not something she was going to take lightly. He couldn't even see the sparkle, but he could feel the sudden wave of energy coursing through her, and that was all he needed to tell him to tell her straight. "It's just how my semblance works. The longer I spend in someone's vicinity, the more accustomed I become with their Aura and the more I can see of them. When I know them enough, I see their shape and major details of them, then after that some minor details, things like scars and Faunus traits. After a while, finer details become clearer. Neo was the only one like this, but I saw every inch of her as a glowing version of herself. That was 45 minutes of pure concentration on sensing their Aura and familiarising myself with it through physical contact." Yatsuhashi opened the dorm door, Nylan stepping in after him. "But that's how, in a nutshell," he finished.

"Sorry we didn't get here sooner, the rest of them got caught in a mini debate about singing voices."

"Did you drop the 'Wayfaring Stranger' one again?" Fox asked, completely unsurprised. The giant smiled casually.

"Of course I did."

"What the shit?! How is your voice so low?!" Viola commented in disbelief.

"I know, right? I said that too!"

"Moving on from that topic." Yatsuhashi moved over to his own bed, sitting cross legged and facing Fox, who had shifted so his feet were now touching the floor. "You want to try and get in contact with Neo?"

"Yeah..." His head drooped at the mention of her name. "It's just... there's no way we can know where she is, so rescue missions are out of the window. Our only hope of her being saved is for her to come to us, but that also introduces risks. But frankly, I just want to see her again." There were already tears manifesting in the corner of the blind young man's eyes, but now they flowed freely from them. "I had gotten so used to actually having proper sight to the point that this feels like torture now. She'd come so far from what she was before, I don't want her going back. That wasn't the woman I fell in love with!" Knuckles almost shone white as he gripped tighter onto the sheets below him. Yatsuhashi shook his head at the couple in the room, who both individually wanted to go and comfort him.

"Let him be for a minute," he whispered, if you could call what that sounded like a whisper. In his own time, the tears subsided and the sobbing passed, but the sadness remained. "We had better get started then Fox."

"Right." He wiped away at his tears with his arm, composed himself with a couple of deep breaths and then looked towards his partner, the glow on him as familiar it was the day he gained his sight. "What do we do?"

"All I need you to do is get yourself into a position you feel you could comfortably remain in for a long period of time, I don't know how long the process would take." Nodding, Fox lay on his back on the bed, head facing towards the door just in case Yatsuhashi needed to do anything there for the process. "Is there any item that holds a lot of value for the pair of you? The Plushie? The picture frame?" The frame in question was a simple silver thing, large enough for your average photo. The photo chosen was of the pair, their faces practically touching at the cheeks, both people staring directly into the camera with their mouths firmly wrapped around a long, red and white striped straw that were both plunged inside the Super-sized Neapolitan Iced Shake in front of them, hands holding a little handmade card with the words '6 Months' on it.

The photo was taken by Maggie - the Arctic Fox Faunus Neo had a crush on - when she and Fox went there for their 6 Month Anniversary. Turned out the Faunus had a crush on her too at around the same time, and she even admitted to them after taking that picture that if Neo had come back again alone, she would have asked her on a date. Fate didn't play nice with her that day as Neo turned up with Fox in tow. But she found herself a boyfriend of her own soon after and they were both happy. The couples became good friends, talking and meeting up on occasion; this was one such time and Maggie couldn't have been happier for them. That wasn't what Fox wanted though.

"Second drawer on left set, on the right side. Should be a dark hoodie, and it should have the faintest smell of vanilla." He knew exactly where it was, he was the one who moved it not a couple of hours ago, and no one else had been in the room between then and now. Sure enough, it was still there. Viola handed him the item and he silently thanked her, clutching onto the dark fabric like a lifeline.

* * *

One week. That's all that had passed. Already, her body began to feel the strain of the torture. The shocking became significantly less and less frequent as she was becoming more and more compliant, but when they did come - because they always did - they were worse every time. The blue arcs of lightning shot from her body every time bringing her to her knees quicker than the last through pain and exhaustion. But they were good, because they'd give her Aura a boost. It was what she needed every now and again, to keep her going, keep her fighting. So she acted out on purpose multiple times just to get a shock and a bit of her energy back, until Watts noticed the pattern and behaviour. No longer would they administer a shock for things like that unless Salem gives the go-ahead. Now, it was just pure torture again.

She fought against it all, because she needed to escape. There was no other alternative she'd want to explore; those being 'Become their Puppet' or 'Die a Horrible Death'. Escaping was the only way out. At least, initially it was. Now that the shocking was finally getting to her and fatigue was taking its toll, she seemed to favour the first of the three options. It'd be playing into their hands, but it was the path of least resistance. And sometimes, after a life of finding obstacle after obstacle placed in front of you, you just need an easy route.

She swung her current weapon at the people who were attacking her. All of them men about 6'1", and very physically imposing. The one noticeable difference was their skin. It was black, with dark red veins and white tattoos all over - they looked like Human-Grimm hybrids. To an extent, they were. They were nothing more than the manifestation of Grimm from one of the puddles outside of the place she was being kept that formed itself into the shape of people. If the skin wasn't a clear enough giveaway, they must have no emotion at all, if they share that much in common with the Grimm around them. Her blade sliced through the guts of one man, his black blood spilling out for all of a second before he evaporated like the rest of the Grimm, they quickly she spun round and took the head of a second man and embedded her blade in the stomach of the third and final one. Rather than pulling the blade back out the way it came though, Neo grinned menacingly and backflipped away, holding on to the sword as she did. That brought the sword from where it was resting up through the Human-Grimm's body and out. When Neo looked back at her ex-target, it was falling apart into two almost symmetrical pieces, cleaved neatly in half right down the middle. She felt her grin and let it dissipate naturally; she wouldn't admit she enjoyed that, but she wouldn't be opposed to doing it again without consequence - killing people was how she made a living all those years ago.

"It seems you are finally learning to accept our orders Neo. I'm impressed, most people would rather fight for their freedom until their last breath, but you really are something else. Now, you must do one more thing before I can deem you ready." Neo heard the pool oozing out another being. There was only one, from what she could tell, so whatever it was, it was bound to be something big like an Alpha. She spun round, aiming her gaze high to meet the eyes of her enemy, but there were none there. She lowered her gaze, and there were no eyes meeting her at her eye level. Instead, they were below. A Grimm Child, looking no older than 10 years old.

Pink and brown were replaced by ivory as she stared at the woman on the side-lines with a look of 'Are you out of your mind?!'

"My child, if you cannot deal with a simple child now, then 10 years down the line that child may be the person who kills you where you stand. You eliminate all opposition and anyone else who gets in your way, no matter why they are there or who they may be." Neo wasn't having it. Even though it was a Grimm, she jumped forward and hugged the child-like creature close, nestling it close. "Do it" the woman commanded to the Doctor by her side, who slyly pressed the button.

 _They won't get me to do it_ _,_ she assured herself. _There are some lines I would never cross;_ _I will_ _ **not**_ _take the life of a child._ She heard the high pitched call of the bracelets all too late as they suddenly discharged everything they had into her. The lightning arced from her body in brilliant blue waves, connecting against anything nearby. It caused her muscles to spasm and contract, clutching on to the Grimm tighter than she ever thought was possible for her. The pain made her wish she could scream again. It's all she needed right now, to scream. Her breathing became heavy and her heart beat an odd rhythm after the shocking was over, her body reacting much more negatively to the shocking than before. She was nearing her limit. The realisation of what had truly happened occurred after a few breaths when black mist started drifting up from under her nose. She stared down, seeing the Child-Grimm dead in her arms. The electricity killed it. She lost it. Tears flooded down her cheeks, watching as the creature with a child-like appearance vanished into nothing.

"A pity, and here I thought you were making such good progress." Salem turned to Arthur and, without even changing expression or tone or anything really, spoke to him. "Put her back in her room. We'll let reality sink in for a little while, then we return again soon." He nodded as she took herself away.

"Come on then, you poor excuse of a killer," he demanded, picking her up by her shoulder and pushing her forward towards the room she was permanently kept in when she wasn't outside. It was 'her room', because it meant that she could do nothing in there that would disrupt anyone else outside of it. Locked away in her cell, essentially, she curled up and cried, letting her mind go blank.

 _I'm so uncomfortable_ _,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

"Neo never really went a week without wearing it for at least part of the day. It made her feel comfortable, it grounded her from her old reality." The gentle giant nodded, recalling those conversations themselves.

"Yes, that ought to be perfect. Now, I want you to try and focus on Neo and that memory, that feeling that you say she felt when she wore the hoodie. Focus on that." Shutting his milky eyes, he focussed hard on that emotion. Yatsuhashi held his hands on the side of Fox's head and did his best to aid in connecting the two.

* * *

_I miss that room. I miss Fox. Hell, I miss that hoodie..._ Reminding herself of the dorm room was the one way she could cling to her past, the past she enjoyed and wanted. Sure, thinking about her parents and brother was fine, but with that came the sad memory of her Uncle Lang.

No, she needed to be positive. She needed comforting. She needed that hoodie.

* * *

Both parties gasped at the same time.

They both were thinking about that hoodie.

Suddenly there was an expanse on nothing. Echoes that built up before words were spoken, then trailing off after they were done. A floor, somehow, but no walls in sight. Well, no real sight at all. Much like everything, they were nothing.

"Fox?" The voice came from the void, off in the distance.

"Neo, is that you?" another rang out from the other side. As the sources of the voices grew closer together, they both adopted corporeal forms. Their eyes met and they rushed into each other's arms. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"You too, I was worried what you'd do when I went missing."

"Honestly, it wasn't the best thing in the world."

"Doesn't matter, you're here now and that is what matters." They both thought the same thing, and leaned into one another for a long kiss.

"You sound beautiful, did I ever tell you that?"

"I sound just like this when we communicate in our heads, why is _now_ the time you want to address that?"

"Because this is the first time I've heard you talk." Something clicked in his head. "Why can I see, and why can you talk?"

"Why wouldn't you be able to-" Another voice, Yatsuhashi's, rang from the nothing around them.

'You are in a Mindscape. The rules of the Living do not apply in here, per se. So long as you have thought, you can speak. If you have an imagination, you can see. I can't hold this for very long Fox, please get what you can from her.'

"Right." He turned to his girlfriend. "What is happening to you Ni?"

"They're torturing me. This woman named Salem wants me to be her personal assassin. Based on what she had heard before and what Roman said to her - by the way, Roman works for her now, not Cinder - she knows what I was capable of when I had no morals. They grew over time, but she wants that Neo back."

"Ni, there's only one of you."

"Is there Fox?" She sounded hurt admitting that, but to her it was the truth. "The girl I once was, the woman you fell in love with? Both gone. Only the killer I chose to be 10 years ago remains. And she will be coming for you. You were first on Salem's list for me." He felt his blood run colder, then he saw the world flicker around him. Yatsu couldn't hold this for very much longer.

"Why me?"

"Eliminating any immediate connections straight away, then I have no one to hold me back. It'd be you, then the team, then my family. I can't let that happen, I need to escape."

"Neo, there _is_ not escape! Ozpin obviously knew it was Salem; he never mentioned her name, but going off what you've said it may be the same person. Listen, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I need you to submit to them."

"You're fucking insane!"

"I know, but you can't escape them without dying. You need to get you going by yourself as soon as possible. We'll fight for you, and we'll try and bring you back."

"I wish I could be onboard with that, but you have no idea how-"

"Trust me Neo. Please! I won't give up on you, you _need_ to trust me!" He looked pained to see her doubt him so, but another kiss calmed his uncertainty.

"I trust you Fox," she reassured him with a smile.

 _Well, well, what's going on in here?_ came another voice, one Neo instantly recognised as Arthur Watts. _As fun as this has been, I'm afraid your little meeting has to be cancelled, our star pupil is needed back in classes._ The pair heard an ominous high pitched squeal that slowly rose in intensity and pitch.

"Neo, what is that?"

"Watts! Every time I step out of line, they shock me. It's been getting worse and worse every time, trying to get me to stop, but-"

Her sentence was instantly cut off when lightning flowed over her body like an Aura of its own, a painful Aura. A bolt jutted out from the rest, striking Fox in the chest and sending him flying backwards. She screamed, and the scream was like nails on a chalkboard to Fox. Why would you ever want to hear your girlfriend in pain like this, pain you couldn't even stop her from experiencing? It stopped, eventually, and the ice cream girl collapsed, Fox running over to cradle her. But as he got closer, the ground became like a treadmill, making it so he couldn't move any further forward.

"No, no, NO! Neo!" He reached out to comfort her, falling short. She looked up and saw him struggling against the irresistible pull of the void behind him.

"Fox, don't leave me!" She reached out as well, but the pair started drifting away from one another even faster, their consciousnesses parting abruptly.

"NEO!" he cried, desperately grabbing at nothing. All he heard was one last word as they were pulled away to opposite ends of the never ending darkness.

"FOX!"

* * *

The copper haired boy threw himself up screaming, the sound frightening the Faunus girl and her team leader as well. His panting was heavy and his brow almost coated with sweat.

' _hate waking up like that..._ he thought to himself. The memory of her scream still etched in his mind as clear as day, but the familiarity of it couldn't be shaken. He remembered something like that, back on his Second... "Her..." he managed through puffs and pants, trying to regain control over his breathing. Yatsuhashi eased himself off the floor, having collapsed to his knees when the ordeal ended.

"What do you mean by 'her' Fox?" his teammate asked.

"In my original nightmare, back before the Museum, I heard my name being called. I remember it. Even back then, this was always going to happen. It was Neo's voice."


	10. The Armies of The Black Queen Advanced On The Towers of The Wizard of The First Age (well... Army... and Tower, singular... and even "Army" is a bit much..... oh well)

"I take it you managed to communicate with her then?" the Headmaster queried, hands placed on top of his cane. Professor Goodwitch stood beside him, arms folded, riding crop still in her hand.

"I did, yes sir."

"If you don't mind me asking, what was it that she said to you?"

"She mentioned Salem planned to turn her into a killer, just like she was before she met us." He felt the Aura around the pair shift slightly at the name. "So, Salem's a bad piece of work, then? Considering it made you two flinch."

"Yes," the Professor stated bluntly, stepping forward towards the blind boy, riding crop still in hand and arms still cross, "she truly is. We need to know everything Neo told you, this may be a chance to get to her and fight on her turf."

"It wouldn't be easy, and I dare say it wouldn't be a quick assault either. It'd take a long time to prepare something of that magnitude. We may have time for that, but judging by what you said to her, not a lot of time for the immediate threat. Correct?" Dark skin simply nodded. "Well then, I think we're in need of a meeting. I shall contact you as soon as I know, but for now please can you contact Teams RWBY and JNPR and inform them they are to meet with your team in the Infirmary at 7:00am tomorrow morning, no excuses. I only want a small group dealing with this, one that knows Neo. That will be all, Mr. Alistair" Another nod later, Fox got up and left, leaving the Tower for the second time that day. At least this time, due to the urgency of the matter, Ozpin and Goodwitch had the courtesy to come down to ground level, rather than waste time him climbing the Tower in that elevator. He went to type out a message to the Third Year teams, but then he realised that he could see anything anymore... again.

 _Back to the old ways, I guess,_ he mentally sighed.

"What did Ozpin say?" The sudden bass in his left ear caused the blind boy to jump nearly 6ft in the air.

"No sneaking up on me Yatsu!"

"I forgot," he pleaded innocently enough.

"Calling B.S. on that." The Headmaster tutted at Fox's wording, even though he _clearly_ didn't swear and instead substituted the swearing out. "But anyway, I need you to message RWBY and JNPR for me real quick. I would, but..." he gestured to his face.

"I understand." As he got out his Scroll to start scribing, Fox has an idea.

"Yatsu, do you mind doing me a small favour with that?"

* * *

Doing this now felt more and more autonomous as the days went on. It had been a couple of days for her since she spoke to Fox, but that didn't stop the conversation sticking like glue to her brain. That was good, she needed something to try and hold on to; even though the likelihood of that happening was miniscule, she needed to hope. But when she was doing this, hope was all but a distant memory.

To an outsider, Neo was fighting against nothing, just swinging away at thin air. To her, there were countless disposable enemies all climbing over each other at the chance to get a hit in on her.

The man with a nice fresh slash on his face from Neo's sword threw himself over the bodies of his fallen companions and aimed a shot at the girl, who was busy slicing away at a couple of the others. They stood no chance; she was dancing around them. The latest of her victims had been stabbed in the shoulder and opposite knee, causing him to crumple under his own failing body. The shot flew from the gun in hand, bullet on a direct course to impact her clean in the square of her back; no point in aiming for a headshot, she would be dead after a couple of shots anyway. The distinct sound of blood splattering brought a grin to his scarred face. But to his sheer surprise, the sound of the gunshot and the splatter of blood was intersected with the sound of shattering. Before he got a chance to fully grasp the fact that the person he'd killed was the man hidden by her and that Neo's illusion had been hit, not her, the woman was standing behind him. Tapping his shoulder to gain his attention, he swung around wildly with his gun hand with the aim of clubbing her in the side of the head with it. The swing wasn't even halfway done when the gun split in half, breaking it completely, and the man's upper arm flew from his body, soaking the already bloodied surroundings with more of the crimson liquid. His shouts of pain and agony were amplified when his other arm was removed completely. Part of her felt like leaving him to die of blood loss, but his screaming irritated her, so she shoved the blade through his gaping mouth and straight out the back of his throat.

"You're finally there Neo," Salem commented, making her way over to the scenes of her subject's latest battle. The images of the battle fizzled from her mind as the ashen skinned woman closed the glowing red amulet she carried, pocketing it and its contents. "I feel I can trust you enough to send you on your mission." The woman kneeled in respect for her, a gesture that pleased the dark Goddess. _Soon, Ozpin,_ she thought, _your world will fall again, and give way to_ _ **my**_ _world once more._ Caught in her own fantasy setting, she didn't see the smile gracing the smaller woman's face.

* * *

**Yatsuhashi:  
_Message on behalf of Fox direct from Ozpin. "Can everyone meet up in the Infirmary at 7:00am tomorrow morning. No excuses, it is urgent."_**

"There, everyone's been messaged." The blind boy smiled, giving thanks to his partner without words, not that they were needed. They made their way back from the Tower, talking idle talk and passing the time in silence. After only a couple of minutes, replies started coming in.

**Ruby:  
_I'll b there!_ **

_**if the rest of the team can't b then i can relay info** _

_**weiss said she will 2!** _

"Why can I still hear her enthusiasm?"

"Ruby is just one of those people Fox."

**Jaune:  
_I spoke to my team. We'll all be there. But why couldn't Fox ask himself?_**

"Would you like him to know now, or later?"

"If they're going to be there tomorrow, then they're going to find out anyway."

**Yatsuhashi:  
_You will understand. For now, just be there._**

**Jaune:**  
**_Right._**

Sometime later, Yatsuhashi received one last message.

**V:  
_See you then :)_**

"That's everyone confirmed, with the exception of Yang and Blake." Fox simply nodded, he knew Ruby and Weiss could relay information back to those two fairly well, it wasn't too much of a hassle. For now, sleep was needed - especially after they day he'd had.

* * *

Neo walked through the crowds, ignoring the looks she was receiving. Some recognised her from before; "the girl who saved their village from the monster years ago", "the one who was friends with the son of Daichi". She knew that was what they were thinking, simple folk like this were always easy to read. Others were just staring at the girl with pink and brown hair. They were just being rude - they'd be first. She carried her parasol over one shoulder and a plain looking bag over the other. Neo found the place she was looking for, a small, secluded Inn to the East. Well, as secluded as you can be in Hai-no Hana.

"Greetings Madame!" The man seemed very friendly, holding his hands out as if wanting her to shake them upon their meeting. Hers remained planted firmly on her bag strap and parasol. Realising this, his hands clasped together. "It is such an honour to meet you at last. I have heard recounts of that day, you were so unbelievably brave; you and your team."

_Team_

In a flash, the woman dropped her bag and forced the man against the wall with her parasol placed firmly across his throat, her eyes now matching the alignment of her hair.

"I'm sorry! Please, take what you want! I didn't mean any offence." The sweat practically materialised out of nothing on his forehead as the woman grabbed her Scroll and started typing away at the screen. He tried squirming, but she applied a little more pressure to the hold, keeping him there. When she was done, she turned the screen around for him to see what she had written. His eyes locked on to her to see if she was bluffing about that.

The smirk assured him she wasn't.


	11. "I See," said the Blind Man.

Morning came all too soon for the students. Whilst the vast majority wouldn't be up for at least another hour or so, there were some who had a meeting to go to before the majority of their peers stirred.

Coco stirred from her sleep feeling much better than she did before she had dozed off. The Aura shot she was given when she got here really helped to get her system working properly again, but one glance to her side revealed the real reason she felt right as rain this morning. Her girlfriend was sleeping beside her, on top of the covers of course so that Infirmary staff wouldn't complain, but still snuggling close and pooling her Aura into her all night long. Honestly, she felt she may have overdone it a bit, as the cute little bunny sleeping next to her started to look a little pale from doing so. Whilst reluctant to do so, she needed to make sure Velvet didn't harm herself trying to protect her. Coco shook her partner by the shoulders as gently and as firmly as she dared, bringing her round from her sleep gently rather than shaking her violently out of it. She spoke softly into her girlfriend's ears, the acute hearing of the Faunus meaning that even the lowest of volumes could get the point across.

"Velves, hunny, time to get up." Brown eyes fluttered open, the owner letting their gaze settle on the beautiful woman lying next to her. Her eyes shut again and she smiled, leaning forward for a kiss. _Not gonna say no to that._ There was nothing overly passionate or romantic about the kiss, just a simple 'Good Morning' peck on the lips.

"Mm... morning Coco..."

"Morning Velv. You smell like morning breath."

"And your bed sucks; I'm pretty sure a spring popped in the night and jammed itself up my ass."

"Damn springs, getting all the fun before I do."

"Shut up and..." she was going to say sleep, but the yawn made her thoughts clear. A knock on the door broke both of their concentrations and cut the yawn off dead. The Faunus bounded off the bed, landing in the chair on the far side of the room. The girls relaxed when their team walked in, but that was only the calm before the storm.

"Oh my Oum, Fox!" Velvet was up straight away, staring into his face. Her eyes scanned, trying to process what she was seeing. Milky irises and greyed out pupils. "Fox..."

"Surprise," he deadpanned, "I'm blind again."

"What?" This was news to Coco, who hadn't really woken up properly yet, and also had her view of the boy obstructed by a pair of rather large rabbit ears. Even though her Mark was screaming _Loss_ at her, she didn't listen and focussed instead on the thoughts that flooded her own mind. "How the hell did that happen?" Wanting to offer an explanation, but not having the means to do so, Fox simply held his arms out to the side in an ever so slightly overzealous shrug.

"Your guess Coco. All I know is that it's got something to do with whatever's happening with Neo. It's breaking our link that the Parchment of Volentes made, and thus destroying the wish." Coco was going to ask what he knew about Neo, but decided against it - she'd had enough of an information overload this early in the morning to last at least until dinner. The four spoke idly for a few minutes before there was more knocking. Before anyone had a chance to speak, Fox dashed over to the bedside table and took Coco's slightly scratched, but otherwise intact, sunglasses and threw them over her face. In stepped four Third Years, all of whom Coco and Velvet had no idea why they were there.

"Good morning all," Ren greeted, already looking eager for the day despite the fact the digital clock on the wall still had a 6 at the start of it. This was evidently a displeasure shared by at least one of the younger team as he carefully moved further into the room clasping the hand of one ginger haired powerhouse who was there with eyes firmly shut and a very obvious snoring sound coming from her mouth. Pyrrha and Jaune, whilst falling nearer Ren's side of the awake spectrum, still landed in 'not completely awake' category, slowly walked in after them, gently shutting the door and standing around with their team, eyelids still a little heavy. "Please do not draw any attention to the fact that she is still asleep, we will deal with that when Ozpin arrives. Also, say nothing about..." to emphasise his point of not even mentioning what he asked them not to mention, the silent ninja nodded his head down towards their hands. "We will not hear the end of it otherwise."

"Sorry, back up a bit; Ozpin? Why would he be coming here?" The blond looked at the senior team leader, then at the boy with her sunglasses on in the corner.

"You didn't tell them Fox?" he questioned, finding the sentence hard to believe even as he said it.

"It was on the list. As is another thing, but I'm not saying that now. This time, _they_ know and you don't." Fox was confrontational when he was irritated, stressed or tired. Right now, he was all three. His irritation was gone by the time more bodies showed up. Weiss was there, as was Team HLQN.

"No Rubes this morning Weiss? I thought she was the one pulling the strings on your team, not you," the fashionista joked. Much to her annoyance, the platinum haired girl flicked her hair back over her shoulder (she always seemed to do that when inconvenienced) and crossed her arms.

"Oh please. If it wasn't for me, Ruby would have failed every test we've had since starting here. She may be a good team leader, but being skipped ahead two years translates to being a poor student academically. I see it as my duty to make her better." The black and white haired girl from the Second Year team grinned and 'whispered' to her partner, even though she fully intended for all party's present to hear her comment.

"Well, at least we know who's the Dom in _that_ relationship." The shade of red Weiss turned at the comment almost made up for the fact that Ruby wasn't currently present, her cheeks stained a glorious and vibrant crimson. The three full teams all laughed, leaving the odd one out standing like a glowing beacon of red in the middle of them all. Another knock focussed their attention away from what caused Weiss to freeze up in embarrassment to the grey haired gentleman that walked in the room, mug in hand and looking no different to when else he was seen.

"Good morning to you all. I am glad you are all enjoying yourself, but please be thoughtful of your surroundings; this is an Infirmary and I'm not sure other in-patients would be best pleased to be woken to the sound of laughter before 7:00am." Everyone tried to remain as silent as they could for as long as possible." Ms Schnee, I know my eyesight may be fading slightly in my waning years, but I don't seem to see any of your teammates around. I assume Fox gave you the information to be here at 7:00 as a matter of importance as you are here, but why aren't the rest of RWBY?"

"Ruby was _insistent_ that she'd get Blake and Yang here, even if she had to carry them. Well, they didn't know about this before they went out last night - what with it being the last night they _could_ go out before our semester starts - and they came back late and a little bit tipsy. I tried telling Ruby that we could tell them when they wake up, but she wasn't having it. They are all on their way here; Ruby's making good of her promise." The Headmaster took a sip as he responded with scepticism.

"I see." Velvet's head turned towards a faint grunting and panting noise coming from down the hall - inaudible for humans at present, but not for long. Nylan's head followed soon after; she didn't have the acute hearing of Velvet, but hers was still a darn sight better than her non-Faunus friends and teammates. Ozpin's attention was then drawn to Team HLQN, who were all sitting to one side of the room directly opposite the door. "And may I ask why you four are here? I'm sure I recalled asking for only Team's JNPR and RWBY to be here." Before any of the Second Years could speak, Fox answered.

"That was on me, sir. I couldn't send a message so I asked Yatsuhashi to send it to them. Whilst there, I requested that he send it to Team HLQN as well. They're good friends of ours, they're very close to Neo." Not even speaking, the green clad man looked over at the youngest team, waiting for their response.

"I did ask everyone first sir," Viola started, feeling a little nervous at the confrontational look the normally very calm and non-confrontational Ozpin was giving her. "I said that if one of us didn't want to go through with this, then we wouldn't pressure them and we'd stay away from it all. The agreement was unanimous."

"Very well, but you realise that this task may be way above your level of skill and experience, alright? I asked for these three teams as they are some of the best - if not, _the_ best - teams I have at my school at this moment in time in their respective years, and they are close enough to Ms Russet that I consider their-"

"Sir, _we_ are close to Neo as well!" Lulu snapped back, a move she would most likely reserve for other students who irked her, but never a teacher. "Without her, lots of aspects of our team wouldn't be here. We owe her a lot, this would be the least we would do for her." He sighed, taking another loud sip.

"I do not appreciate the fact you spoke back at me, but I do appreciate your enthusiasm and willingness. I will allow it, but I'd like to see you in my office after it is all done Ms Persimmon, understood?" She nodded, but her ears were drawn to the sound of panting nearby, something very much more noticeable than before. As the blinds in the room were drawn, all those in the room could see was a large mass of shadow moving across the window with grunts and strains. Weiss rolled her eyes and opened the door, letting Ruby in - the young girl carrying her sister and her sister's girlfriend and Mate on her shoulders.

"Damn Rubes!" Coco said unintentionally but without regret, "that's impressive. Where'd you carry them from?"

"Dorm room..." she puffed, placing them in the nearest chair. "They wouldn't wake, so I carried them. That's the nice part done. Now..." she gave her partner a smirk and nod, who returned the expression. She gestured everyone to step back as she pulled out her rapier and spun the chamber to Ice Dust. With a small thrust into the ground, ice crept its way towards the pair and enveloped them from the chest down in two separate blocks of ice. The girls screamed at the sudden sting of cold that hit them, then promptly stopped and looked around at the many faces staring at them with grins.

"Weiss... explain." The blonde's hair started to glow and the ice started melting, her semblance making quick work of the sculpture she'd involuntarily become.

"Ms Schnee will not be doing the explaining, Ms Xiao Long. That honour goes to me." The fire in her eyes was snuffed in an instant as Yang saw Ozpin. It came back slightly as another wave of Ice Dust hit her, re-freezing the ice already around her.

"And that's what you get for having Ruby literally carry your sorry behinds here. Now listen, and I might not keep reapplying the ice after a while." A low growl came from the blonde's lips, but nothing that warranted any further encasing.

"Ms Russet, Neo to most of you, was recently captured when the attack on the school occurred. The White Fang sent children to storm the school, clearly with the sole purpose of distracting as many people as they could whilst the culprits caught Neo and took her away. Going off of Mr Alistair's conversation he managed to have with Neo, she was their main objective that day, which is why the attack never lasted for long - they had what they needed very quickly."

"They have been doing things to Neo," Fox added, standing from his chair. "Things that can only be classed as torture. But it was all in the hopes of achieving their goal. They needed her as a cold-blooded, merciless killer again. One with lots of skill and without remorse. The side effects of this torture are pretty clear to see..." he removed the sunglasses, showing off his milky eyes to those unaware of his current predicament. "Pun not intended," he added with a smirk. There were gasps from nearly everyone present.

"Mr Alistair made sure to tell Neo that she should try and give in as soon as she possibly could. It may sound ridiculous at first, but in hindsight makes a lot of logical sense. Whatever they have done to her, the longer we leave it the more time it has to settle in and become part of her way of life once more. It does also mean, however, that an attack on the school - or at the very least, on Team CFVY - is imminent. That is why I wanted to speak with you now, so that we had as little time between knowing the plan and enacting it as possible. Now, let's begin."

* * *

Neo spent time in the room she had cleaning and sharpening her blade. It had grown dirty from the stains that had accumulated over the past hours on the walk in and she needed to get rid of them. Most of them, at least - battle damage always made a weapon look more intimidating providing it didn't hinder its performance.

The village was quiet.

The room she was in was small and uninteresting, a far cry from the room she'd spent the past 18 days inside - that was large and intimidating AND a torture chamber.

Her bag was all but emptied, her belongings laid out on the bed.

Cleaning and sharpening utensils, as one would expect. Her Scroll. A decent amount of Lien on the off chance she needed to use it. A single polaroid photograph of Team CFVY, back when the brown coloured quartet were still in their first year of Beacon, the blind boy's face circled with a red marker.

He was her target. Neo needed to get to him. Only then would she be appeased.

But first; her Hit List, the penultimate item in her bag. On it, targets. Top of her list, above everyone else - even Fox - wasn't a person, but an order.

**Hai-no Hana. Send them a message.**

Her irises shifted colour, swapping sides like they always did in combat, as she stared at the final item from her bag. And getting up to stare out of the small window in her room down at the laughing children below with an confident smirk on her face, she knew just who to use this on.


	12. Giving Her the Warm Fuzzies

The briefing had taken a little longer than anticipated, what with the plans needing to be moved around on account of HLQN's inclusion, but they were all done by about 7:55. The plan was very simple and unambitious in its approach; Team CFVY was to remain in at least pairs throughout their day, staying near classes where either RWBY and JNPR or Team HLQN were (preferably the former, as Ozpin strongly suggested, still not overly pleased with HLQN's inclusion) or going with a combat ready Professor. With any luck, and he couldn't believe he was saying this, Neo would attack them sooner rather than later, meaning that CFVY could get a taste at a real mission rather than being on the defensive back at Beacon.

The day of the briefing was full of stress.

Ozpin needed to shoot off early, as Initiation was commencing at 9:30 at the launch pads on the cliffs of the Emerald Forest - a place he knew they were all familiar with. Coco seemed fairly eager to join the man in watching "Newbies getting thrown off a cliff and fighting for their lives" - her words, not his - but the Headmaster simply stated that he was not planning on risking her life by taking her out onto a completely exposed hilltop where there was no cover basically offering her up to Neo on a silver platter.

"I'm sure she'd _love_ to see me splayed out on a silver platter..." she mumbled to herself, earning her an elbow to the ribs from her girlfriend and a subtle raised eyebrow from the Headmaster, who she didn't know heard her comment.

"On top of that, Ms Adel, you are still slated to be bed rest until later today, by which point the 'Newbies' would have already been 'thrown off the cliff' and most would have found their partners already. Sorry to disappoint." He wasn't, but it was only proper to sound like he was. "At the very least, I could see if the nurses could play the highlights back for you later on in the day?" He smiled and left, Coco less than pleased. HLQN couldn't stay around for long either, being only Second Years, their classes started up at the same time as the new First Years' did, so they too needed to shoot off early. They bid their elders adue and headed back to their dorm to get changed for classes, but not before Nylan rushed back in and caught Fox in a Yang-level bear hug. For her size, she was incredibly strong.

"We're going to do this Fox! Just you watch." She retracted to look him in the eyes, a sudden intake of breath coming from her when she momentarily forgot about his whole 'blind again' thing at the start of the briefing and at her poor choice of words. "My bad... I forgot..."

"It's alright. You might take some time adjusting, but you didn't know me to be anything else. My team will probably get used to it quicker because they knew me when I was blind before. Hopefully though, it's not permanent." She smiled a reassuring smile, then rubbed her cheek on his chest quickly.

"Look after yourself, Scars."

"You sure are a far cry from the shy girl Neo introduced to me a year ago," he replied with a slight giggle and a ruffle of her hair. "I will. For myself, and for Neo." In a display of speed that rivalled even Ruby, Nylan was out of the door again. JNPR left soon after as well, with their blond leader apologising to Fox for his comment over text the day prior. Water under the bridge, and all was forgiven and forgotten. That left Teams CFVY and RWBY. The eight of them talked about whatever subjects came to mind, actively trying to avoid the subject of Neo, though efforts were fruitless on multiple occasions. Suddenly, as if an internal alarm went off, the youngest of the eight stood up and started sweating.

"Oh no, no, nononono, no!"

"Rubes? Rubes! What's up? Talk to me." Big sister mode was activated, but alas; Weiss' Trap Card 'Big Block of Ice' was still in play, so its effects were all but negated. She couldn't give her little sister a comfort hug - one of a few people who ever has or would get the privilege of receiving one - and she couldn't let her natural body heat warm her up and make her feel cosy.

"I just remembered that I promised I would go and see my friends back from when I was at Signal before they went off for initiation this morning because this would be the first time I'd seen them since I left to come here but I was so caught up in doing this for you guys that it completely slipped my mind even when Ozpin said that he was going to the Emerald Forest just like we did back when we first started and now I feel like a really bad friend and so I think I really need to go and see them before I make things any worse for myself okay bye guys good luck!" A flash of red and an entire room completely covered in rose petals later, and Ruby was gone. The 7ft giant was the first to speak after that transpired.

"I must admit, I am incredibly surprised at how fast Ruby can talk. And that she said that all in one breath."

"Have you seen Rubes, Yatsu? She is like the epitome of hyperactive and awkward. I should know, I've known her all her life, literally when she was ya-" caught in the moment again, the fact the blonde brawler was trapped escaped her mind until conveniently and comically appropriate to remember. "Urgh, Weiss, can you get this thing off of me now. _I'm_ starting to get cold, and that's saying something. Oum only knows what Blakey's feeling like."

"C-c-cant feel m-m-my t-t-toes any-m-m-more" she shivered violently, her natural introverted nature overtaking the outgoing one that shone through every now and again ever since she and Yang became Mates, and making her hide her cold through gritted teeth and sheer willpower not to make a sound. This was the first anyone had paid attention to the situation that Blake and Yang were in since it first happened, especially Yang.

"Jeez, Blake, you're turning blue! Y'know what? Screw this!" There was no buffering time between the words hitting everyone's ears and the temperature of the room jumping 20 degrees or so. Eyes now burnt crimson and hair glowed like fire as the ice around Yang melted away and cracked, letting her break herself out of the frozen block a couple of seconds later, sending fragments of it all over the room - some shattering, other bits impacting and falling to the floor to melt in the near future, a stray few hitting people - unfortunate side effects. She wound up a punch and smacked Blake's block with a left hook - even for her non-dominant hand, she made a hefty dent in the ice - then followed that up with a screaming right to the same spot, breaking her girlfriend's frozen prison in two swings. She caught her as she fell, feeling her skin against her own. "Damn it, she's as cold as your heart, Weiss!" she managed, the one and only joke she thought about making with regards to the situation. The Schnee Heiress, much to everyone's surprise, didn't bite back. It _was_ her fault Blake was like this, she deserved at least some punishment for it. "I couldn't even feel her, both our Marks were covering in ice!"

"Yang, get her in here" Coco started, adjusting herself to get out of the bed. "It ought to help."

"Not in these wet clothes it won't."

Weiss' face flushed in second-hand embarrassment. "You are _not_ stripping your girlfriend down in front of-" On cue, Yang's started glowing brighter and harder to aid in warming the Faunus up and drying her clothes. The crimson glare Weiss received at even insinuating that Yang would do such a thing at a time like this where it was _beyond_ inappropriate to do so quietened the Atlas native. Yang's hair was bordering on white with the glow now, but on her shoulder the Mark still shone the brilliant yellow associated with the brawler. Through it, she sent as many positive and warm thoughts as she could.

_Ecstasy. Sunshine. Protection. Love. Cherish._

"N-n-"

"Ah, ah Blake, you just stay there and stay quiet." Yang lowered the now-warmer and drier Cat Faunus into Coco's bed, all with a gentle "There we go," from the glowing brawler. The fashionista stood back to let the partners have their space, but her head was still not 100%, so the act of standing caused the blood to vacate her head if only for a second - long enough for her to stumble slightly as she leant backwards. "It's gonna be alright sweetie. I'm here as personal heater if you need." A small smile came to be between two growing rosy cheeks and a thought was sent from the woman to her partner beside her.

_Maternal._

"Yeah, yeah, I know. We've discussed." She turned to the remaining five in the room, curious looks on their faces. "Later." She turned back to Blake, the only person she needed to focus on right now. "Now, you need to rest a little and warm up again."

"Night watch..." she managed to get her thoughts out this time, but rather than them being taken seriously, Yang laughed. Coco and even Yatsuhashi joined in, much to the confusion of the rest.

"Blake, do you know what time it is?" She shook her head, either not knowing about the clock nearby or simply not remembering its existence. "It's 8:24. In the morning. Nightfall is at like 7:45, or there about; we've got practically all day to get you warm and recovered. _Then_ we can think about night watch duties." With a peck on the nose, the blonde muttered something along the lines of "My silly little kitty Cat" before moving her attention to Weiss, the nice Yang being replaced by the no-nonsense, get-shit-done-and-get-it-done-fast Yang. "You four can head out. I need to talk with the Ice Queen here." Complying, CFVY vacated the room despite the fact Coco was meant to be in there for another few hours or so.

Weiss gulped.

* * *

Team CFVY were huddled together in the Common Room the next morning, all sipping their own personal cups of coffee. Yatsuhashi's was simple, a black coffee with one sugar. Coco's brew made up for the normality of his by being rather extravagant in contrast - a large cappuccino with cream instead of milk and poured in such a way that her emblem adorned the top of the beverage. No one knew how she did it, not even Velvet - not for a lack of trying mind you. Apparently it was "an Adel Family Secret that was to be taken to their graves should they not find a suitable partner, and said partner could only learn it after marriage" as the beret wearer constantly reminded Velvet each time she attempted to get the secret out.

Speaking of; Velvet favoured tea for the first couple of years at Beacon, but she and Yatsuhashi found something on one of their trips to Hai-no Hana. In a neighbouring village a few miles North of Yatsuhashi's home, they served Yuanyang - a drink that combined coffee with Orient's Pearl style milk-tea. It tasted very nice, but what drew Velvet's eyes were the tales as to why the name Yuanyang was given. It referred to the Ducks native to Anima, as they are symbols of conjugal love in their culture, due to the fact the birds usually appear in pairs and the male and female look very different. Velvet couldn't describe hers and Coco's relationship any better, and for it to be brought together in a drink that combined her favourite drink of tea with the rest of the team's preference for coffee was just perfect. She liked the drink, and learned how to make it so she could treat herself to one from time to time, but still at this moment, she was sipping away quite merrily with a cup of tea in hand - complexities and niceties high priorities for the Fourth Year Wonder Team (Coco's cappuccino art the exception to the rule.)

Fox had... no cup. Nor did he ever have a cup. Instead, he had a spoon and a tub of Neapolitan ice cream, and he was shovelling it away like nobody was watching. Sadly for him, there were people watching. Sadly for _them_ , he couldn't see them staring, so he didn't care.

"That's not going to help, you know that."

"Yeah, I know. But I miss her Coco. _This,_ " he emphasised by holding the tub up in the air, "is what I have to remind me of her, considering I can't see any of the photos we've taken over the past year and a bit anymore." In frustration, he slammed the tub back down along with the spoon in the other hand and groaned, the impact on the table causing a bit of Coco's drink to spill, the emblem on her drink now nothing more than a multi-coloured mess in a cup and partially on the table. "I don't want to lose her too. I've lost too much. I can't live without us..."

"Fox, it's going to be alright," Velvet said, rubbing his shoulder to comfort him. "Remember back when you first died when I told you that we have always fought through all the negativity in our lives and came out stronger on the other side? Well, this time is no different. Only this time, you're fighting for two. Neo's counting on you to be strong, so that she can make it through as well. Come on; be strong. For all our sakes." She pulled him in close for a one-handed hug, his head now resting in the crook of her shoulder. Instinctively, she leaned down and pressed a quick and gentle kiss on his head with a smile, bringing him out of his stupor as well.

"You seem to always know what to say Velvs. Thank you."

"Any time." Fox's Scroll buzzed on the table, much to the confusion of everyone present.

"That's weird, everyone I know who has my number knows that I won't be able to see it, right? Not until I reactivate that text-to-voice-"

"It's from Neo!" The dual haired team leader snatched the phone as quick as she could and opened up the message.

**Neo:  
_3_** **_files attached. Click_ ** **_ here _ ** **_to view_ **

Her expression changed instantly to one of horror, almost to the point of throwing the phone down in disgust. "What the fu... Neo..."

"Coco, what was on there?" She said nothing, only heavy breaths could be heard. "Coco, what was on my Scroll?"


	13. Taking Things. Easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've got ourselves another scene of intense violence. It's brief, but graphic enough to warrant a warning.

Neo had climbed up to the top of the Watchtower in the middle of Hai-no Hana. It was a perfect vantage point, and she could take as many shots from the top as she needed without fear of being discovered or captured if she was.

This wasn't what she was used to - the mute much preferred to get up close and personal. It made things more intimate. From here, it was far less so.

She readied herself, aimed through the telescopic lens she had, and started shooting.

**~000~**

Fifteen minutes. That's all it took. That was all she needed to get the job done. There were pillars of smoke rising from places were fires where started just before she began. The village sounded all but dead - there was no human sound up here, just the faint crackles of fire and the wind flowing through the streets. She peered over the edge at the expanse in front of the tower. There were a large pile of people, all still laying there in pools of red, positioned in such a way that they spelt out words. She grabbed her things and jumped down to the ground, her Aura cushioning the fall from that height, as she landed by the head of the young boy curled in a ball at the end of them all. Smirking, she tapped the floor by his head three times with her parasol, then proceeded to walk away.

Beacon wasn't too far away, maybe three days walk at best from now, and that could be cut down if she used a Bullhead.

Almost forgetting why she made a stop here, she sent a quick message to Fox with three of the best photos she'd taken attached to it. One was a panoramic shot of Hai-no Hana with the fires and pillars of smoke everywhere, one was of Neo holding a child with her sword from the parasol digging into her throat and the last was all the people she had gathered laying on the floor to spell out a message.

**I'M COMING FOR YOU.**

* * *

"How far away is Hai-no again Yatsu?"

"No more than three days away, that's walking. I doubt she'll walk all of the way here." Fox paled, his dark skin turning a shade or two lighter.

With a bit of trouble, he managed to say, "S-so, she could be here any time within the next three days?"

The question was rhetorical.

Gods, they _wished_ it wasn't rhetorical.

Now, Team CFVY were a strong bunch. They had accomplished a lot in their time at Beacon and were arguably the strongest team in their year. And that was before it became CFVYN. But even _they_ shivered at the prospect of facing off against Neo, who they have only ever fought against as a team once, and she thoroughly kicked their asses. That was before they became a team. Now, she knows their moves, their fighting styles, their tactics, basically everything about them - and she was working against them.

"It's going to take a bloody miracle to come out of this alive..." Velvet commented, expressing everyone else's thoughts. They even brought themselves closer together, keeping each other close for protection against the ice cream girl's wrath, touching shoulder to shoulder for added ease of mind. Fox pulled two more spoons out of a pocket and handed them to his partner and his leader. Velvet took a quick photo of them, then summoned a hard light construct of a spoon from Anesidora. They all collectively started eating the ice cream from the tub in front of them. No wonder Neo likes this stuff so much...

* * *

Neo had never entered Vale from the road. It was either via the air or the docks, never the roads leading in. It was different, which was good. It meant they wouldn't be expecting her this way. It also meant that the cheaper inns and hotels were closer, rather than having to trek halfway across the city to get to them. She entered an establishment, the Notell Hotel on the outer edges of Vale, and walked up to the man behind the desk. He was a short tanned man with apple green eyes and rusty coloured hair. To Neo, he didn't look like much of a fighter, so she could do a bit of persuading if she needed to. She produced her Scroll from her pocket and began typing her initial request as the man spoke.

"Good evenin', welcome to Notell."

**One person, one night please.**

"Very well m'dam." he reached behind him and grabbed a key off the hook that read 'Room 18' and handed it to Neo. "That will be 30 Lien for the night." It wasn't a bad price in her eyes, so she wasn't going to haggle. She took the keys and handed over three 10 Lien notes, then headed up to her room. She turned down a hallway and headed towards her room. As she fiddled with her keys and eventually opened the door to go in, a thud was heard on the door a couple of rooms down. Being curious / nosey, she leaned backward and peered down the hall to see the commotion. The fact she felt her eyes switch to vanilla white meant she knew what she was seing wasn't a trick.

"I still haven't gotten used to this yet Cin. I miss depth perception." That voice, so unmistakable.

" _Told you... just... focus..._ " came the hoarse reply of the other voice, followed by a nasty bout of coughing.

"Easy, easy. And I told _you_ to stop talking so much, you'll make it worse." Neo saw the two making their way down the hall, backs to her. The exposed back tattoo of one was enough evidence to go off of, as was the mint green hair of the other, so she decided to silently slip into her room and hope they didn't cross paths again. She no longer worked with or for them, but that didn't mean what they did to her would be going away any time soon. With a violent shake of the head, she banished their presence from her mind and instead focussed on the tasks at hand; getting to Beacon. That'd be tomorrow's main task. For now, her task was to rest and get her energy for tomorrow.

* * *

Velvet and Fox had experienced many 4:00am's at Beacon. There was something very relaxing about them. The complete relaxation that came with not having to worry about anyone else interupting them, the lack of sounds from students walking around and sparring, or the hustle and bustle of everyday life in Vale, even the sounds of the animals of the night or early morning - they weren't there. At that point, the only people awake who would be making any type of noise was a blind and scarred young man and a young woman with rabbit ears. They both sat on the rooftop of one of the buildings overlooking the campus and finishing with Vale on the far horizon. The pair of them were laughing, clearly not worrying about their old friend appearing behind them at any moment, although the boy did stop his train of thought and his mind wondered onto that path on a couple of occasions. The latest time that happened, she'd had enough.

"Fox, stop it!" the Faunus commanded, slapping his exposed forearm. "And before you say it, you know damn well what! She is strong, but she is human. She needs sleep."

"She knew and used to regularly performed the Uberman Sleep Cycle. That means 20 minute rests and she's back to ripe perkiness."

"Yeah, she _used to_ , Fox. I don't recall her ever using it when she was here, so she'll be out of practice on it; counter-point 1. Counter-point 2; she walked basically the entire day yesterday, I assume. She's going to want to collapse and curl up for the night."

The blind man sighed in defeat. "Alright fine, I'll relax."

"Good. We need it. Neo is most likely in Vale right now, if not very close." Fox muttered a disgruntled "You're not helping..." under his breath that, thanks to the extra pair of ears on her head, the Faunus heard him say but chose to ignore it and continue on. "She is going to be on us within the next few days, we all know this. So whilst we have every right to be on edge a bit, we don't need to be in a perpetual state of panic. I want you to ease off Fox. We're all going to need you front and centre when this goes down."

The sarcasm that came from the "Yay" Fox gave was extraordinary. "I get to stand centre stage and watch as my girlfriend kills me." That remark earned him another smack, this time on the head. "Ow! Jeez Velv, how strong are you?"

"Stronger than I seem; you've got Coco to thank for that. But be thankful I didn't kick you, I would have had to send you to the Infirmary." Velvet didn't really like to flaunt around the fact her leg muscles were immensely strong due to her rabbit Faunus genes. It wasn't out of the question a kick could hospitalise someone, particularly if that person deserved what they did and got an especially potent kick their way. "That's beside the point, Neo is not going to kill you. We won't let her, and you wouldn't go down that easily. Yeah, she threw us around like ragdolls on her own when she got you on that date, and she wasn't even trying. Now she'll be prepared and it would be much worse. She'd be going for the kill as well."

Fox tried to interject, stating "How is this meant to make me feel better Velvet?", but she wasn't finished and barely gave him time to speak.

"But so are we. Not only do we have a plan and know what we're doing, we're not alone. She's not going to be fighting against four individuals, she'll be combatting four _teams_. All we need to do is snap her out of whatever trance she's in. We've got the number advantage, and the fact we'll be working cohesively, rather than a mess of bodies lining up to be knocked down. _And_ we have back-up plans. We've got this."

"You enthusiastic little so-and-so," he teased, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her down to where he was sitting into a side hug, "I know we complain every now and again about you hanging around with Ruby too much, but I guess it has its benefits."

"Yeah," she replied, hugging his stomach and resting her head on his shoulder "I guess so." The pair remained there for minutes on end in silence, watching as the scenery remained unmoving for the entire time they were there.

"Y'know Velvet, I know we discussed this a lot, I have said my piece on the matter and so have you, but I still think we would have made a good couple."

"Yeah, _now_ we would be." She moved, releasing her grip and sitting away from him. "If I had said yes the first time you asked, I would have been a shy mess and you would have been unable to see anything. We would have been a shit couple."

"Hey, that's not fa-"

"Fox, we would have been such a shit couple. Do not deny it. Honestly, as much as I agree we may have been an okay couple a few months - or years - of the team being together, I prefer the arrangement we have."

"I know, me too. Well, I mean, I will be once Neo's back. Heck, if I can get my sight back, that'd be great too."

"But besides all of that, both of them have done wonders for us since we've been with them. Neo helped you become the person you are Coco broke me out of my shell as well."

"She also fucked your brains out one time and you've been hooked ever since."

"Shut up Fox, you would be hooked too if you were on the receiving end. She knows how to do things I've only ever seen other Faunus do, so you'd have a lot to live up to if we were a couple."

"Okay, okay, TMI Velvet." His blank eyes stared at her brown ones, neither willing to break first. Fox saw her Aura, the deep scarlet pool of energy inside her, and tried to wait out the laugh he felt coming through his body, just as he saw one rising through hers. Neither won that. They both started laughing together, falling down onto the rooftop and laying on their back riding out the giggles until they were back to normal.

"I like sleep and all, but I miss our 4:00am talks."

"Agreed," he sighed, resting his head down on the floor.

* * *

With nothing left in the room, Neo locked the door and headed back, giving the person at the front desk the keys. Shifts had changed and instead was a woman with midnight blue hair and a pair of equally dark blue, thick rimmed glasses. The woman at the desk smiled, though it was very obviously a forced one, and waved her off. Walking away from there, she was glad she hadn't seen the other two again as she left, though her mind still questioned their motives for being there. She knew that they weren't working for Salem anymore, a fact made painfully clear with her ever so casual 'hints' at their fate. Did the woman ever think they'd escape? Had she let them? Did she know they were alive?

There weren't the questions she needed answering. Bag on back, she marched on towards the centre of the Kingdom, towards the nearest landing pad. She had someone to meet up in Beacon, someone who was dying to see her.

"I told you." The other woman gave only a "Tsk" as a reply. "Come on Cinder, there's nothing to worry about. Honestly, if She had wanted Neo to kill us, then we'd know. It was chance that we're in the same place, and I don't think she saw us."

" _Maybe's... not... goo-_ " another round of throaty coughs from the one well-spoken seductress.

"Stop overworking your voice!" Before the words reached her mouth, Emerald's fisted curled tightly into balls at her sides. "We can't afford lose any more of ourselves." In the spur of the moment, she absentmindedly rubbed the left side of her face, right over where her eye used to be. "She took too much already..."

* * *

Salem played with the glowing red amulet around her neck, enjoying the sensation of the just being there.

It was the least she could have done, by far.

She recalled when three of those fools returned to her after trying (and subsequently failing) to capture Neo the first time.

* * *

_The dark Goddess noted that only three returned, questioning the whereabouts of Mercury not because she cared, but merely out of curiosity at what they'd say; unsurprisingly, she knew the answer before she even asked the question._

_"Mercury is dead," Cinder replied, not a hint of emotion in her words. Daerk was nursing a headache from his rock-induced state of unconsciousness and Emerald not only had pain from being smacked against a wall, but also the emotional strain of watching as her partner was killed before her very eyes. Eyes that were red from crying most of the way over. Salem shrugged slightly and stood from her chair at the head of the table, pacing ever so slowly to the large windows beyond their seats._

_"Oh my, what a shame." Emotions suddenly surfaced in Cinder._

_"Does his death mean nothing to you?" The side stare from the ashen skinned woman would have made almost all fear her in an instant. Cinder was not 'almost all'. She was naturally assertive, she was attractive (and she knew it), and could talk her way out of almost any situation, fighting her way out of the ones where the act of talking it out wasn't an option. And to add the cherry on top of the proverbial cake, she had part of the Maiden's powers. She could be a Goddess among the men with the power she held._

_But she wasn't in her comfort zone, nor was she speaking to a low level thug. She faced her boss,_ the _boss._

_"No, it doesn't. Human interactions should make them weak, and it is working. Even in such a short time, she weakens. Her friendships grown and she becomes vulnerable. But similarly, it makes you weak. That's not what you wanted Cinder; remember what you wanted."_

**~000~**

_"Five attempts..." She drifted ever closer to the three people kneeling before her. "You have failed to capture her after five separate attempts. One girl can't be that difficult to manage."_

_"If I may, Your Darkness," Daerk stuttered, his nervousness spilling over at her presence. As much as she hated doing it in here, she will enjoy watching this man suffer. Especially as he kept using that infuriating title with her. "We did have trouble getting her alone; that would have made things easier." Daerk wasn't well versed in people with unlocked Auras, he had very much a one-track mind when the thing that was the Parchment of Volentes came into his life. It was all he ever seemed to focus on. Which is good, considering that Geists can be quiet, but not completely silent. Cinder and Emerald noticed, but said nothing - they had learned not to. "We just need a little more time, then she is ours." His last mistake._

_"Ours? No, she is mine. Daerk, you know nothing of what I plan for this world. Someone like her is essential for what I need. She is strong and she is an exceptional killer, if what these two have told me is anything to go by." The other two females in the room lowered their heads, focussing only on the ground. In the back of the room, Tyrian could be heard 'silently' giggling to himself at what was about to happen. "You are not."_

_"I... what?"_

_"You aren't needed. It was entertaining to think someone like you would have the audacity to come to me for help, what with no powers to speak of - active or untapped. I played along. But now you are nothing more than a burden to my plans. Your selfish goals have possessed your every waking thought, and so-"_

_"_ My _selfish thoughts? You plan to destroy everything, leaving only you and the Grimm left! That is beyond selfish!"_

 _"That is self-_ less _. I aim to return the world to how it should be, its natural state. You want control over something that is unnatural. The thoughts you have possess your every waking thought," she repeated, sounding even more menacing than she did before, her red eyes burning with a light that sparked fear into anyone with a soul, "and so I seem it only fitting that you should die this way."_

_"I don't u-" was all he could manage before the Geist flew into his body via his back, shocking a long and terrified gasp out of him. "No, please!"_

_"You beg? How pitiful." Not wanting any part of this to physically impact her, she shoved him off to one side of the room, his weakened body flung nearly 10 metres away with a mere shove on her part. "As for you two, I just about have enough patience for one more attempt at this with you. I can't promise that I will not kill you - you are very useful even when you aren't messing things up - but I'm sure this enough would be insensitive to do as I ask." Having walked between them, Salem's hands rested on both of their chins and lifted them up to stare at Daerk's form off in the distance._

_His body was twitching violently, the screams that were coming through often cut short by them either transforming into roars of a Grimm or just outright stopping. His veins were darkening, even from the great distance between them in the dimly lit room, it was noticeable. His skin became darker, blotches of black growing from everywhere until his skin was nothing more than darkness. His body tried moving, but it was clear he was not in control anymore - the Geist had taken control. As a black mist escaped from him, he started floating. As he did, his arms spread wide, as if he was being crucified. Daerk's cornflower blue eyes now shone with a Grimm-like amber light as he... it stared at the two by Salem's feet._

_"I hope you understand Cinder, Emerald, that I won't accept failure from you again." With a flick of her wrist commanding the ghostly Grimm, Daerk's body was pulled outwards by internal forces, essentially having the Geist ripping the man in half from the inside. His corpse, now in various different parts, fell to the floor with an uneasy sound like wet meat being slapped onto a surface. Cinder felt herself wanting to throw up, but what little of the Maiden's powers she had made her burn that away as it tried to escape her throat._

**~000~**

_"This is most unexpected," she commented. In her eons of existence, little had given her cause for surprise. "And who might you be?"_

_"Me? Why, I am Roman Torchwick, Your Grace. I heard stories of what you were capable of, and that these two were working for you. So, I thought I'd rough them up for you and come along. Nice place you got here, by the way. Loving the purples."_

_"You have a lot of nerve, Mr Torchwick."_

_"Please, Mr Torchwick was my asshole of a Father - Roman will do."_

_"I see. Tell me Roman, why did you come here?"_

_"Simple really, I don't like losing. And you are the winning side. Plus, you've got someone who knows Neo more than anyone. Who knows her weaknesses and fears; despite how much I hated being around her, I noticed things. Unlike some..."_

_"If that is the case, you have one chance to prove yourself."_

_"Very well," he grinned, tipping his hat to the woman and walking off._

**~000~**

_Seeing Neopolitan laying on the ground in front of her made her laugh. And not a nice laugh either, it was near enough a cackle. But a cackle from such a soft spoken voice - it made it all the more unnerving for Emerald and Cinder, who at this point were being restrained on one of the walls of the room._

_"Do you see now you two?" Salem questioned, neither wanting or needing an answer, "This is all it took. One simple human. Not any fancy tricks, no powers, just brains - something you two clearly lack nowadays." She reached out and took a glass from one of the small tables as she approached the pair. "You two aren't needed anymore, but it's such a shame to waste entertainingly stupid things run around. So I have decided that you won't be dying here today." The dark Goddess heard their sighs of relief. They didn't last long as she grabbed Cinder by the throat with her free hand. "That doesn't mean you're leaving unharmed."_

_Only one person knew what was happening, and that person was Salem. Everyone else watched as the woman used some sort of magic to pulled the Maiden's power out from Cinder's body via her mouth, the glowing fiery orb burning in her hand._

_"What did you do to me?" Cinder begged, feeling empty. Having had the Maiden's powers inside her so long, they almost became part of her. Without them, she was at a loss. With a flex of her pale wrist, the fiery orb turned into a full-on ball of flame in Salem's hand as she stepped closer to Cinder again._

_"You use that voice of yours to crawl your way under the skins of many men and women, persuading them to join your lost cause." Using a single finger from the hand that held the glass, Salem pulled Cinder's jaw down, leaving her mouth agape. "Never again." She moved the hand with the flame above her mouth, then dropped the flame in. The pain literally burned her mouth, scorching every taste bud in there like a personal vendetta against them all. That's when it started falling, descending down her throat and burning away her vocal chords. Tears streamed down her face and the cries of pain grew more and more hoarse as less remained unsinged. The tattooed woman tried swallowing to rid herself of the pain faster, and she was thankful that she did. Words still felt like they could be formed, but they were going to hurt like a bitch._

_"You've done enough, now let us go!" Emerald demanded, her eyes red from crying once more. It seemed like a common occurrence whenever she was here now._

_"Not yet," she hummed. The locket around Salem's neck materialised from the glass of black liquid she had beside her. Honestly, Emerald thought that she was drinking wine, it wouldn't have shocked her to know that wine was this woman's drink of choice. But seeing how it turned out to be nothing more than the black goo dotted around the place the ashen skinned woman called 'home', she equally wasn't surprised. It snaked her way from her finger that she dipped into the pool up and along her arm, then formed into a small metal amulet as it got there. "You, whilst pathetic, have something very important for me."_

_"What else do I have to give you?" The woman tapped a finger on her chin and taunted her with waiting._

_"I don't know, let me_ see. _" The stressing on that last word, along with the evil smirk, gave Emerald all of one second to realise what she meant before a hand reached out and effortlessly plucked an eyeball straight from its socket. Her screams were the stuff of nightmares. Salem just wiped the blood and nerves off the eye and placed it in her new amulet, the red iris now glowing separated from its owner. The woman turned to Roman. "Well Roman, it seems you have yourself a seat at my table. Dispose of these fools, but don't get them killed by Grimm. I want to know they suffered for a long time before that moment."_

_"With pleasure."_

* * *

There was no need for her to feel pity for the two of them.

He did in one what they failed in five, in much less time as well.

Their punishments were just.

Salem smirked at the memories. She never enjoyed dwelling on the past, but in down moments like these, it was always fun to remember those that she hurt like that.

* * *

Emerald glanced back to Cinder with her one good eye and spotted the woman had fallen asleep in the chair she was sat in. She huffed gently and shook her head, smiling a pained smile.

 _How could someone so driven be so exhausted all of a sudden?_ she thought to herself. _It's so sad, and she'll dig herself into a pit of despair if we don't try and do something for ourselves._ Twenty minutes was all she was going to give Cinder. The woman only lost her voice, she had lost an eye. If anything, Emerald felt that she should be the one perpetually exhausted - which she was, but she never showed it. For once, in the partnership that she and Cinder had made in their time working together, _she_ was the one calling the shots. But it was for their own good.

A red eye stared out of the window once more and caught a glance of the back of Neo as she rounded a corner out of her sight.

 _I finally understand how you feel Neo. I wish you luck._ She spoke out loud; whether it was speaking directly to Neo or a way of convincing herself she was unsure, but she spoke with conviction nonetheless. "I hope you find happiness again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salem seemed very... Thanos-y at parts of this, didn't she?


	14. Bringing the Student Body to Silence

Coco woke from her sleep to see Velvet missing from their shared bed in the dorm and Fox also missing from his. When they had first started Beacon, she may have been worried about that, panicking ever so slightly that Fox may be trying to woo Velvet before she had a chance. Both of them assured her that she was thinking crazy and that nothing like that would happen between them. She believed them then, and she would believe them now.

Her first instinct upon waking up was to drag herself to the Common Room and get herself a Morning Coffee - nothing fancy like whipped cream or sauce or anything, just a cup, coffee granules, hot water and two spoons of sugar. Boiling the kettle took a few minutes, so she was left thinking to herself.

 _What are we going to do when Neo arrives? 'cause, she's going to. And soon._ The kettle whistling brought her back to reality but the thoughts still clouded her mind even as she made her way back with slightly more energy and enthusiasm than she did on the way there. To her surprise, Velvet and Fox had made their way back into the dorm whilst she was grabbing her drink, and Yatsuhashi was awake now as well. They greeted each other as they always did in the morning, but everyone could tell that the others were nervous about the day ahead. As Huntsmen and Huntresses near the end of their training, they were aware of what the dangers of life as Huntsmen outside the protective bubble that was Beacon would be like; that they'd thought about countless times before. But this was a new kind of nervous. They were nervous about when she'd attack, where she'd attack from, what they would have to do to stop her. Sure, they had Plans A through to G that would work well on paper, but 'on paper' is a hell of a difference to 'in real life'. So many factors can change, and this is what worried them most.

Neo was a teammate and a friend to all of them, essentially a sister to most and a lover to the one who she wasn't. And the thought of having to kill her just to keep her from killing them cast a dark shadow over the Fourth Year team.

Their morning routine continued as per normal; they got ready and made their way to the dining hall as a team and got their respective breakfasts. What was new this time around was the constant bombardment of First Years running up and wanting either photos or autographs of the great Team CFVYN. After the first three, it got too much and Velvet found herself latching onto Coco's side for comfort. She may have grown a lot since she was in their position 3 years ago, but that still didn't mean she had conquered all her fears. Large swarming crowds was one of them. And the added fear of Neo jumping out of it and attacking them amplified the anxiety.

"Right, pipsqueaks. Shift it!" It was clear the fashionista was on a very short leash today. "We just want to eat in peace for now, we _may_ let you do the whole 'paparazzi' thing another time, but for now, scram!" They complied, some of them rubbing the fact they got one of their signatures already, or that they have a selfie with the team into the unfortunate one's faces. The gentle giant sighed almost disappointedly at their behaviour and seated himself next to Nora, whose bubbly personality shone through the doom and gloom of their morning.

"Good morning~" she sang. She literally sang it. Fox was honestly surprised to hear her voice, he always thought Nora was a 'scream until ears start bleeding' kind of singer. "How are you doing?" she asked, much more down to Remnant than she usually was. The tone shifts with her were unnerving.

"We are all a bit worried about the day ahead of us," Yatsuhashi replied, his deep voice showing a slight twinge of fear. "We don't know when Neo is going to strike, nor where, but we are fairly certain it will be today."

"Well," came Jaune's reply, "no matter what, we're in on this and we're going to help. You can count on us."

"Yeah! We're gonna be the best Super Team EVER!" came the very overhyped Ruby as she jumped onto the stool she was sitting on not a second prior, having devoured an entire plate of cookies for her so-called 'breakfast' and the initial sugar rush was already kicking in. Her hyperactivity was quickly calmed by her girlfriend-but-not-officially-really Weiss smacking her arm and forcing her down to sitting. Fox let out a little chuckle at the mass of red light bobbing up and down on the table opposite.

CFVY worked out a brief plan of the day with the two Third Year teams. They would have included HLQN in the discussion, but they were really more there to aid in defending CFVY against Neo rather than being a larger part of the plan - this was, of course, Ozpin's way of including the Second Years without really involving them too much. They agreed to those terms, so he was somewhat happy with them being part of this now. Knowing that Neo was most likely attack today at some point, they did their best to keep together as much as they could. Of JNPR's three lessons they had, one was with Professor Gale, so CFVY all mentioned how they would very much like to either be present in, or at the very least just outside of, that lesson - it _was_ in essentially a bunker two floors underground built to survive everything shy of the Apocalypse, and even then it'd take some time. That meant that there were three more lesson periods that day they needed to account for. Whilst JNPR had their free period, Team RWBY were in a lecture on Grimm Anatomy with Prof- _Doctor_ Oobleck. Velvet was on board with going there - even though the Final Year team all collectively agreed that Third Year Grimm Anatomy was by and large the single worst subject in their time here, that fact being received incredibly poorly by the seven 19 year olds and the one 17 year old sat with them - as she still firmly believed that Oobleck would be the best person to be around when Neo attacked.

"You're bringing that up again?" Fox asked. Nora, naturally, was curious and nosey about what they were talking about.

"Ooh, what're you talking about?"

"They were talking abo-"

" **NO!** "

There were very few things that could bring an entire dining hall of students to complete silence so fast. One would be their collective, untimely deaths. Second would be Glynda Goodwitch walking through the doors with any expression other than neutral and her arms folded. Third and finally, four Fourth Year students all collectively shouting at a Third Year to stop telling another student with a habit of making crazy things happen about a potential crazy idea that could wipe out the school.

This was a case where option three had occurred.

"Hun, they're all staring at us..." Velvet whispered, not breaking eye contact with a particular First Year student whose eyes were constantly flitting between her own eyes and her rabbit ears.

"I wondered why everything went quiet and still" Fox commented, seeing only unmoving blobs of colour around him.

"What do we do Coco?"

"Velvs, hunny, I can't think if you keep talking" she shot back in an effort be say it as quietly but firmly as she could. Brown eyes scouted for options. Brown eyes found no immediate solutions. They darted down by chance and found the solution, so she started edging her way slowly towards it. "D'you guys need to be in a lecture soon?"

"We sort of do, yeah. Why?" Pyrrha's emerald eyes glanced down and saw the fashionista slowly grabbing one of the small dishes in front of them that was covered in cream usually reserved for Nora's pancake topping when the syrup supply was depleted.

"Because I'm about to make most of Beacon late." The last sentence was spoken in a normal voice as the dish was pulled off the table and hurled towards a student about three tables across.

* * *

Sticking to the shadows and tree canopies where she could, Neo made her way towards the main building. She got on to Beacon grounds with ease, she remembered the exact ways she had done it back before she and Fox became a couple. The odd thing (for her, at least) was that getting inside of the building itself was easier than getting to said building. Her normal routine was to go to the dining hall and leave when other people left, then she was part of a crowd. Now, however, was not going to be one of those times.

She was crouching under the window when a soft * _thunk_ * came from above her. She glanced in to see what caused it, only to have her vision obscured by a thick blackberry-pie-innards mess on the window.

 _Food fight..._ she thought to herself. With Fox nearby, hiding her thoughts was paramount, even if Fox couldn't hear them. _There is no way I'm going to get in and get through to the main building with that going on._ In a brainwave, she smiled smugly as her eye colours swapped sides. _Maybe I don't need to get to the building. I just need to find them in this mess._

* * *

CFVY was gone long before the Food Fight they'd started really got going. Coco's dish of cream splatted someone clean in the face, who returned the attack in gusto but missed the gunner and instead hit Ren in the side of the head. Nora, being Nora, felt obligated to defend Ren's honour.

"You have disrespected my Renny, prepare to _die!_ " The scariest thing was that no one knew if she was kidding or not. It took exactly 2 minutes for the entirety of the dining hall - save Team CFVY, Weiss and Pyrrha - to be caught in the ensuing battle. That wasn't to say they escaped unscathed; Yatsuhashi got hit by a few stray items of food, what with him being so tall, and Fox was unaware of the pie heading straight for his face until it hit him. The six who fled did so to save themselves from the embarrassment that would follow, but also to finish finalising the plan for the day, and to clean up. The 20 minutes they spent planning uninterrupted was beneficial for them, but their nerves were promptly shattered when they received a message on their Scrolls from Ruby.

* * *

The fight was sensational. Nothing could top their First Year intimate food fight, but this was close. It was near enough all 3 full Years worth of students in the battle. The Third Years had had plenty of practice at food fights. They were all hauled up in the top half of the hall, with some infighting among them but nothing too bad. The new kids were down the other end, completely inexperienced and it was noticeable. They threw food everywhere, not caring who they aimed for. Stuck in the middle were the Second Years. They were focussing mostly on defending themselves due to the double flank they had against them, but they persisted and held their own for a commendable amount of time.

Once CFVY, Pyrrha and Weiss had left the hall the battle raged on for a good 20 minutes. In that time, Neo had snuck her way into the hall and was trying to find her target in the mix of all the battle. From the outside door she entered through, she had made it two-thirds of the way down the hall towards where the Third Years were defending from when the doors slammed open once again. There were three things that silence a hall of students so fast. One was their deaths, three was Fourth Year students shouting. Sadly, neither of those happened this time. Instead, was Option 2.

Professor Goodwitch still had a few steps to go after the doors flew open, so clearly she was used her semblance to do the work for her. Her riding crop raised and a large amount of the food currently in the air froze in its tracks. That was when the hall went deadly quiet. Quiet, save for a single sound of shattering glass. Everyone looked to the windows, Glynda included, but no one saw anything broken.

"Ms Rose," the teacher called across the hall. The previously hidden head of the young team leader appeared from behind a table, tomato staining her left cheek. "It appears the stained glass has been broken. Make your friends aware of this." Then with a flick of her wrist the dining hall began magically remaking itself. Ruby heard the comment and hastily typed out her message to Team CFVY. Glynda had spoken in code, but Ruby translated it in the message.

**Ruby:  
_Neo's here. She was in the dining hall_**

* * *

The mute silently cursed her sudden instincts. She saw Professor Goodwitch and immediately bailed via teleporting. That meant that she'd created an illusion that would have shattered and drawn attention to it.

 _Stupid move._ She ran away from there, sticking to the shadows once again. She needed to hide out somewhere that very few people would go, just to plan what her next move would be now that her element of surprise was all but ruined. She'd need to jump them and try to get Fox as fast as possible.

* * *

Velvet and Yatsuhashi joined Team JNPR in Professor Peach's class whilst Team RWBY were accompanied by the remaining 2 members of CFVY in Port's lecture. Fox was happy that this was where he was, Port was his go-to for the teacher who could (and would) win in a fight amongst the staff.

"Seriously Fox," Coco whispered in the top corner of the room, a good few metres away from everyone else so that they weren't distracting anyone and quietly enough to do the same, "what on Remnant do you see in this guy?"

"I told you before, it's the tactics. He's been around them for so long that he knows how they fight and how to beat that. Hell, he and Oobleck had bets back when they were younger." Her eyebrows arched at the news from the boy beside her. "Really Coco? Did you not pay any attention in his classes at all?" All he got was a shrug in return. With a grunt that may have been a tad too loud for the grey-haired tactician at the front, Fox explained. "Back when they were still Huntsmen, they regularly went on mission and had friendly competitions on who could kill the most Grimm."

"Killing more Grimm doesn't equate to being a be-"

" _So_ , after countless missions where neither definitively proved that they were the better, they decided to settle their debate with a 1-vs-1 duel. It..." the room was quiet, and that's what worried him - this would be the second time today that the room he was in went deadly quiet. He turned to the front and saw Port's Aura; it was staring right at him. "Uh..."

"No, by all means Mr Alistair, do continue. I do enjoy listening to others recount my tales of wonder."

"That's just it sir, I don't know how this one ended."

"I may be able to aid in that dilemma; which tale may you be referring to?"

"Your... battle against Doctor Oobleck." A nostalgic smile appeared under the moustache of the man in red at the front.

"Ah, our battle was glorious..." he sighed, reminiscing.

"so, what actually happened?"

"I shall spare you the details - I _do_ have a class I am teaching," he gestured out with a wide sweeping arm to the group in front of him, most of whom had lost interest a while ago, "but as a brief summation; it was fierce and raged on for ages. I held a tactical advantage against him-"

"AHA!"

"- _but_ he did hold a speed advantage."

"Aha yourself, Fox!"

"Even so, there was a result at the end." Both of the Seniors leaned forward in anticipation. "The result was that Ozpin had clearly seen enough and broke up the battle before it could be ended." They both expressed their distain at the anti-climax that was the story. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have minds to blow with the time I once punched a Beringel to death." There was a faint "Ooh" that could be heard from Yang as she was suddenly interested by the idea of her Professor punching a giant Grimm Gorilla to death. "See?" he commented with a giant grin as he returned to his duties as a teacher. Fox was the first to speak again.

"I still think he would have won in the end."

"I'm sorry," the gunner said lowering her sunglasses to look directly into Fox's blank eyes, "but who was it that Port said stopped the battle?" The blind boy grumbled an inaudible response. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you Foxy boy?"

"I said 'It was Ozpin', alright?"

"Uh huh, now you know that he could stop both yours and Velvet's choices, that leaves myself and Neo in the running..." she realised the moment she said it that bringing her up was a bad idea. "Crap. Fox, I'm-"

"No, no, it's alright. We've got to do it and she's been a big part of our lives for the past 18 months; she won't just go away at the click of your fingers, and the memories we've shared won't either." Instinctively, he reached for his Scroll and went to his photo album. He couldn't see anything, but he'd memorised how to get there from the locked screen of the Scroll so he didn't need sight. "Would you mind Coco?" With a small smile, she took his Scroll and scrolled across to where he wanted. She passed more recent photos, a few more private photos were meant to be for their eyes only - if it weren't for the fact that Velvet had taken the photos and that Coco was there with them - and came to a stop by a small video. She turned the volume right down and placed it back in Fox's hands, then hit the screen to play it.

 _*Hey._ * It was his own voice. * _So I've come here with Neo - my tree. It's the first day of our final break before the summer and I wanted to do something with her that I think seems well overdue. It's something simple, and we both know the answer, but I wanted video proof of it happening. So; Neopolitan, would you be my girlfriend?_ * There was no sound besides the running water and the faint blow of the wind for a few seconds, then he heard the smacking of the lips as he remembered that was the answer she had given him for the camera. * _She said yes._ * With a giggle, he shuffled back to the camera and turned it off.

"She's not gone. I think there's hope left. We can save her," he whispered to him leader, tears falling from his blank eyes.

* * *

_Smart,_ she thought to herself again, seeing the group walking together, _staying in a group will keep them safe. Probably Ozpin's idea. It's always Ozpin's idea._ The group did have that aspect down to a T. But they made one small error; if you're going to do that, don't leave the crowd. Fox, Coco and Team RWBY all opted to walk across the courtyard to get to their lesson rather than take the longer but safer route of round the outside.

This was her chance.

The five young women and Fox were chatting amongst themselves when they heard a faint shattering sound off to one side. Before they had a chance to react, Fox felt a kick land straight to his gut and send him flying halfway across the courtyard. Ruby disappeared in a flurry of rose petals to catch him before he careened into a wall as Yang let out a snarl and swung to strike the attacker, but the punch was redirected; the momentum the brawler had behind the punch was used to force her over the attacker's shoulder and thrown 5 metres away and onto the cobbled floor. Ruby caught up to Fox, but at his speed he still continued on and all Ruby did was put a nice, 17 year old cushion between himself and the wall.

"Oof!"

"You alright back there?" There was nothing more than an exhale of air and a pained sigh, signifying that she was at least a little okay - winded at best. Fox glanced up and saw that light in the distance of his vision. He saw Neo's Aura dancing ahead of him, taunting him. Over the distance, he could make out her evil smirk as her eyes undoubtedly swapped colours.


	15. Brawl in the Courtyard

Jaune was thankful that Professor Peach's class was nearly over; she wasn't bad, but she wasn't particularly interesting either. It just meant her lessons dragged on for so long. And what made it worse was the fact she always ran late by 20 minutes. So here he and his team were, sitting in a class that was meant to finish 5 minutes ago waiting for her to realise that she had overrun. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel when the message came through from Weiss.

**Weiss:  
_Courtyard. NOW!_**

Despite the uncertainty on his feelings, Jaune didn't need to be told twice; he jumped up and ran straight for the door.

"Oh, Mr Arc. Why are you leaving so soon?" the voice of the teacher came.

"Our freezer is broken, and we need to save our sorbet!" On that, he continued running and headed straight to where he needed to go. VY and NPR recognised the code and sprung to action as well. Velvet and Yatsuhashi were by the door anyway, so they were gone shortly after Jaune was. Pyrrha and Ren ran down from where they sat as well. Nora, being Nora, stood on the desk and leapt from it to the doorway on the other side of the classroom some 15 metres away.

"Ms. Valkyrie, wha-"

"I'm gonna go _conduct_ an experiment!" she practically screamed with joy as she left the room, her slower but safer descending teammates leaving the classroom seconds after she had departed. Whilst she was told she needed to say that, the enthusiasm behind it was entirely her own.

All the strawberry blonde teacher could think of as a suitable reply was a mere, "Oh."

* * *

At this point, Neo was taunting them all. How couldn't she be, with that smug look and a posture that was very obviously open and practically screaming 'Hit me'? She was wearing her normal attire - white jacket, brown trousers and corset, gloves and white high heeled boots - but the unmistakable splatters of red couldn't be hidden from their sights, especially against the vanilla colours of her jacket and boots. She didn't need that anymore anyway, she was more in her comfort zone like this anyway.

"Neo, what are you doing?" Coco queried, trying her best to reason with her teammate and friend. "We're your partners, friends, teammates; why are you fighting us? What have we done?" The woman simple flung her parasol back over her shoulder and mockingly yawned, sparking something inside the blonde brawler.

_Rage._

Her Mate felt the emotion coursing through her and reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Yang, don't! She wants that, and you are fully aware of that fact." Sadly, for the Faunus, the response wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"I've been fine with her for 18 months, Blake. I've forgiven her for what she was and what she did." The buxom blonde started walking forward, a faint glow radiating from her hair. "But this isn't her. This isn't the woman I forgave; it's the woman I've been wanting a rematch with." Weiss and Coco lowered themselves, ready for a fight. Weiss didn't have her rapier, but she could now produce glyphs without it being there, so she could hold her own until she got the chance to summon her weapon in her locker. Coco didn't have that problem; her weapon was always on her side when it needed to be. Seeing no other option, Blake jumped between Yang and her target, both of whom seemed disappointed at the action taken. "Blake, move out of-"

"No Yang! You need to stop!" Amber eyes began tearing up, and the sight started levelling the blonde and calming her crimson eyes back down to their natural lilac hue. "You need to stay grounded, for all of our sakes." Her pleas turned quieter as she recalled the enemy standing behind her. "We can't lose her and ruin the plan by you not being in the right frame of mind." That comment completely sobered Yang from her rage high as she blinked the last of it away and steadied her breathing, the glow fading.

"You're right" she admitted.

"I know I am." The small grins that grew on both of their faces was their way of showing that they were okay now, if the emotions coming from their glowing Mate's Marks weren't enough of an indicator of that anyway.

Ruby wheezed as Fox clumsily helped her stand again. "Are you sure you're okay, Ruby? I would have hit the wall pretty hard, and you took basically all of that impact."

"I'm fine, honestly," she puffed, struggling to stand slightly after all the wind was knocked out of her, "I've been on the receiving end of many a 'Xiao Long 2-Early 2-Rise Punch' - trademarked - that was nothing." She tried her best to put on a brave face, but a sudden wave of pain hit her, shooting up her left arm. "Why do I do things?" she muttered, re-relocating her shoulder.

"Look, we've just got to keep Neo occupied until everyone arrives. Once that's done we can- _argh!_ " He was cut off by a blade slicing his arm, nothing too deep or life-threatening but enough to let him know that it was there. Neo had teleported again, closed the gap and was beginning her attack on the blind boy. As the three girls facing off against her turned to see where she now stood, Weiss uttered a curse and started forming glyphs, one behind Yang for her to leap off of and another between the killer ice cream girl and her boyfriend. Coco ran in as Yang flew across the gap with Weiss' aid and Blake pulled out her Scroll to summon her locker to her.

They weren't going to attack first, that wasn't part of the plan. Now that she had attacked them, they had every right to attack back.

Part of the plan discussed how they would attempt to get their weapons in. Neo wouldn't sit around patiently for them to gather their weapons, they needed to do it on the fly. As Fox was most likely Target Number 1, it was agreed that whichever member of Team CFVY he was with should have their weapons on them, but as a team they agreed that all of them ought to have their weapons on them at all times for safety. Also, as Yang was the only hand-to-hand student in the large group besides Fox, she would get her weapons last - it meant that there'd be at least someone who could immediately rush Neo when the time came. To be useful in the battle, Jaune needed his weapons ASAP, so he'd get his first. Then it was to be Ren; his weapons meant there was lots of bullets hitting the ground in quick succession and would thus be more difficult to avoid. Ruby next, as she was very weak without her weapon - though she was improving - and it gave them a larger range advantage. They needed Nora as an essential part of the plan, so her hammer would be the next weapon called.

Blake could do very well with using her Shadow Clones to dodge, but equally she was just as strong on the offense as well. After her, there were only Weiss and Pyrrha left before Yang bringing up the rear. Pyrrha was a 4-time Champion, so you'd think getting her in play would have been essential; this was not the case. Weiss' glyphs could actively turn the tide of the battle, but without Myrtenaster she was limited to a handful of basic glyphs, so she was to get her weapon next. Besides, Pyrrha could use her semblance from afar and shift Neo's attacks away, and that was something that she could do with or without her spear and shield.

Whoever was there at the time would work through that list in order to maximise their chances. However, though Ruby wasn't exactly incapacitated, she _was_ directly in Neo's firing line, so when she was gone from there she could summon her weapon to her. Seeing that, Blake took the initiative and called her locker first.

As Blake was typing in her numbers to her Scroll, Yang had already closed the gap and was within swinging distance of Neo, who herself was trying to overpower the Schnee's protective glyph. The first punch was dodged without the petite woman even turning around to see the attack, so understandably Yang got a little riled up at that. When the second came, Neo pivoted around Yang's front foot and pushed her down onto the glyph as if it was a solid surface, which technically it was. Yang didn't have much time to register the impact, as suddenly she was having to catch the end of Neo's hidden blade, which had since been removed from her parasol and was now attempting to be plunged straight into the buxom blonde's chest.

"Neo, that's enough!" Coco shouted, announcing her presence to the mute. A rookie mistake for the renowned leader to make. Coco swung her handbag at Neo, who effortlessly ducked under it and delivered a fast kick to the beret wearer's chest, flinging her backwards. The interaction was so fast that Yang barely had time to register that Neo had relented her attack on her, only realising when the blade came back down towards her, closer than it had been before and now aiming for right between her eyes. Not only did Yang not notice something, but the mute failed to take in her surroundings either. After a couple of seconds, a black ribbon wrapped itself around the left boot of the assailant. The petite woman looked down just in time to notice it as it was yanked hard, pulling her backwards away from the Cat Faunus' partner and Mate. Ruby took the opportunity too, grabbing Fox and dashing off to one side to hide him behind a wall.

"Ruby, I can fight her. We need everyone we can get there fighting her."

"Exactly!" the reaper replied, grabbing her Scroll and summoning her own locker to the battlefield. "We need _everyone_ here. Once we have at least Nora fighting her, then you can re-join the fight. Until then, both you and Neo are at risk, especially if those things on her wrists are what you said they were."

"I know what happened and I _know_ they are." He snapped back, but then sighed - albeit reluctantly - and relaxed further, slumping down behind the small wall. "I'll stay put," he relented.

"I'm sorry Fox, I know you wanna get back out there and fight for your girlfriend, but it's not safe for either of you. You can stay here and use your semblance to see us or something..." she trailed off, knowing that he most likely wasn't listening anymore. With a pat on his shoulder and a lacklustre "Good luck", Ruby snuck round the outside of the wall to remain hidden, then she leapt over when she was far enough away from Fox to make it seem like she had kept him there, making a beeline straight for her locker where Crescent Rose lay waiting. Fox did as the enthusiastic leader suggested and let his semblance expand out to see everyone around him. He couldn't make out the entire fight, but he could tell where Neo was. She was on the defensive, but that didn't mean she wasn't in control. He thought he'd make himself useful and message Team HLQN to get them here, but he only remembered after the thought had crossed his mind that in order to do that he'd need sight, which he didn't have.

"Stupid blindness, now I remember why I was so lonely for so long..." he muttered to himself under his breath, not giving Neo any chances of finding him.

Over the other side of the wall, Neo was still dodging everyone with laughable ease. If the brawler's concentration / effort face was anything to go by, they were trying their hardest to land a hit whilst she barely did anything. Sure, the bookworm caught her leg and pulled her to the ground, but no one capitalised. Coco was the best bet for Neo to focus on offensively; it would have been the brawler, but she learnt from her year and a bit at Beacon that her semblance allowed her to bounce back any hits she took with twice the ferocity, so hitting her would need to be reserved for dire situations. Blake's tendency to dodge and remain just outside of melee range, the Heiress' use of glyphs and Ruby's phenomenal speed, even without her semblance, made them more difficult targets and left her open more times than she'd want. So that left Coco, who openly admitted to Neo on multiple occasions that she was the weakest out of the entire team when it came to fighting in close quarters, despite all the training she put in. Sadly for her, Neo's bread and butter was fighting close and personal.

The gunner went for another swing, but the sturdy parasol deflected the attack wide and left her body wide open for an attack. The side of her weapon cracked into the ribs of the fashionista, then with a spin she went for a rising shot to the jaw, one that Coco managed to avoid with nanoseconds to spare. But the dodge left her balance ever so slightly off, so still in the same motion the mute did a second spin and landed an Aura-infused palm strike straight to the gut. Her Aura wavered and buckled under the attack - it was the type that, when done as it had just been, was meant to topple Grimm in a strike and destroy them nigh instantaneously - but she held up just enough as she flew backwards. The strike didn't channel enough Aura to make it deadly - which confused the beret wearer - but that didn't stop her from feeling violently unwell the second she landed. Neo dodged a flying fist from Yang then jumped towards Coco to finish the deal. Her heel, which was aiming straight for where the sunglass toting head of Coco would have been, came into contact with a glyph instead.

 _Stupid Schnee,_ she thought to herself as she instead sprung off it, gracefully flipped in the air and landed on a small grassy area in the middle of the courtyard facing them all. A small smile formed on the face of the blind boy off to the side.

With a hushed breath, Fox uttered to himself "Nice one Weiss." Neo obviously forgot that they shared each other's thoughts, hence why he was always speaking to himself out rather than in his own head, lest Neo hear those thoughts.

"What's the plan Coco?" the blonde asked, rolling her shoulders once and readying herself in a fighting stance once more.

"Weiss, call your sword in now -"

"Right."

"- Yang, keep on the attack, then call in your gauntlets once Weiss has her weapon -"

"Gotcha Coco!"

"- Ruby; you, me and Blake need to keep her busy throughout. Got it?"

"Let's go," Blake confirmed with a nod, her and Yang pushing off and flying at the pint-sized killer with impeccable symmetry.

"Just be careful Coco," Ruby mentioned before she sped off to join the fray, "she seems to be going after you since she can't find Fox."

"Noted."

* * *

Team HLQN were making their way to the library with aching bones and depleted Auras. They'd deserved this relaxation. Having just finished a combat class with Professor Goodwitch, everything stung to some degree, a free period in the library sound just perfect right about now.

"I'm telling you," Quentin ensured, their discussion having started long before and now rising to a definitive peak, "there is a lot more to it than that."

"Lulu back me up on this one."

"Nylan's right Quen; it really is that simple. You're just looking into it far too much." The male of the group tried for another counter argument, but found himself merely sighing and admitting defeat. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Could you _not_ right now?" he snapped. The Persimmon smirked at the fight in her teammate.

"Why, something cropped up that means you need to run away from your partner?" Almost as if it was on cue, gunshots could be heard from the courtyard not too far away, followed by a single explosion. He shot her a smug smile.

"It was as if I'd planned that." Carrying the smirk on, he skipped backwards once before pivoting and breaking into a run out to the sound, his teammates following swiftly after him as other people in the library started moaning at the fact that there were "so many explosions". One person from RWBY's year explained that "there were more explosions by this point when they first started," like this was a contest of measuring di-

* * *

Once Yang had her precious Ember Celica locked onto her wrists, she was the first to fire any shots at Neo. Each glowing red orb sailed past her with minimum effort coming from the dodger's part. To close the gap as fast as she could without teleporting the short distance and using any Aura (which when she had a quick check was sitting at around 65%), she grabbed a Fire Dust Crystal and chucked it at the ground by her feet, jumping as she did so. The resulting explosion - the same on Team HLQN heard - shot the mute high up into the sky; so high in fact that anyone who were to try and spot her would only be met by the blinding light of the Sun on their retinas. This provided great cover for Neo, the perfect strategy.

That was until her team leader started filling the sky with Lead.

 _Sunglasses... why do I keep forgetting the simple things?_ she chastised herself, leaving the only option left of teleporting away. She was high enough for the sound of her disappearing to be completely muffled by the whirring of Gatling barrels and the equally noisy explosions from the end of said barrels, but that still wouldn't stop the shards of her former position cascading onto the opponents below.

"She's gone," came the cry from the older team leader, "outward face in the centre, keep your eyes peeled!" The four Third Years obey as if she were their own leader, though to be fair if Coco Adel was ordering you to do something for her you wouldn't say no - not unless you wanted a sturdy boot up your ass. All five girls went back to back, their weapons were reloaded so that they didn't have to deal with doing that mid battle and their faces were determined to catch Neo no matter the cost.

Neo was perched in the tree on the edge of the courtyard, just out of eyeshot of everyone on the ground. The high ground gave her time to rethink her strategy. Well, more like think _of_ a strategy - she was just doing what she was told to do; kill Fox.

 _Alright, first thing's first: where's Fox?_ She moved about in the tree, sneaking along one of the larger and sturdier branches to get a better view of the courtyard; even though it put her at an elevated risk of being seen it was one she had to take. She slipped once on a slightly slippery part of the branch, but no one seemed to notice. It was hard enough for her to search out the place from the treetop as is, adding in the fact she had five enemies below her, her target was hiding well out of sight _and_ her target could hear her thoughts, although that last bit of information had escaped the mind of the tri coloured killer at this moment in time.

Knowing her motives at the moment was one thing, knowing where Neo was introduced a new level of complication. She'd hidden her Aura, now that she was focussing on stealth and so Fox could only sense her Aura when she was right on top of him... figuratively, of course.

 _Stupid leaves,_ was the answer he was looking for - she was hiding in a tree, more specifically the tree in the courtyard. He knew that not only from the leaf comment, but also the fact that if he was her target, why would she leave? Staying close means that he would always be on edge, like predator and prey. He glanced down at his uniform, the cut Neo gave him from earlier still bleeding but less so than before, staining the white shirt they wore as uniform. It would have been a fair assumption to say that Fox was annoyed at not only the fresh cut on his arm - deliberately given to him by his _girlfriend_ of all people - but at the fact that the stain wouldn't come out and he'd have a permanent slash in his shirt and blazer. He ignored the small throbbing pain in his arm and focussed on his mission - get Neo back.

The five girls all stood in the circle, eyes darting everywhere in hopes of catching a glimpse of Neo. What Weiss didn't expect to see was Fox rising up from his hiding spot and starting to walk over towards them and the tree in the courtyard.

"What are you doing?!" she called, gaining the attention of the other four in the defensive circle and the silent killer in the tree.

"I'm going to try and talk some sense into my girlfriend," was the brief but to the point reply. ~ _I know where you are Neo. Come down from up there._ ~ The five girls were all chastising him for his actions but he had completely blocked it out, only hearing the faint and muffled sounds of them trying to talk to him. Those sounds stopped immediately when Neo actually complied and jumped from the tree, their stances dropping and facing her now, but Fox kept walking. ~ _You forgot we could talk like this, didn't you?_ ~

~ _Don't._ ~

"I'm sorry?" he spoke, halting in his tracks at the word.

~ _I don't want to do this. I really don't. But with these things on my wrists,_ ~ he held her arms out to emphasise her point, ~ _I can't do anything else without them try-_ ~ the high pitched noise started. ~ _No, no! I'll fight! I'm going to fight!_ ~ The panic grew on the woman's face, something no one predicted would happen, her eyes shifting to a ghostly and frightened vanilla white. Blake cringed slightly at the intensity of the noise, her hearing amplifying the squeal. ~ _Don't do-_ ~ No one could have prepared for how violent the next few seconds would be.

Just as Fox had described, there was suddenly massive bolts of lightning coming from the bracelets on Neo's wrists. Her face contorted in pain, begging to be screaming but the DAG Syndrome claimed that ability a long time ago. The electric blue of bolts illuminated the surrounding area almost to the point where everywhere was being darkened by the sheer brightness of it all, fazing everyone there but Fox for obvious reasons. However when the bolts started arching larger and further from her body, then there was a mad rush to get Fox away from it all. Coco ran in first, being as she already had sunglasses on, with Yang grabbing hers from a hidden pocket in her blazer and running in too, and forcefully grabbed him and threw him out of harm's way. Team HLQN noticed this and started running harder and faster through the crowds that were gathering nearby, and JNPR, Yatsuhashi and Velvet saw the sparks flying as well; the hammer wielder's turquoise eyes bulging in fear.

"I wasn't fast enough!" she cried over and over, seeing it as a defeat. It took the combined efforts of Ren, Yatsuhashi, Pyrrha and Jaune to get her up and moving again.

Meanwhile, the lightshow that was Neo had finally stopped. The woman staggered twice, then collapsed to her knees, shaking uncontrollably and her breaths short and painful. After a couple of agonisingly quiet seconds, Neo felt a prick and the Aura Suppressor and Replenisher flooded into her veins. She felt alive again, felt ready for another fight, and her mind was telling her that there was nothing else she should be doing other than killing Fox Alistair.

Fox went to go look back at Neo, but in the time it took for him to look up she was halfway across the distance and was ready to kill. As the unsheathed hidden parasol blade came down, Ruby had sped across the gap between where she was and where she is and caught it inches from Fox's face.

"Yang, call JNPR! Get them here now!"

"On it Rubes!" The reaper pushed the mute back and started swinging her scythe around to catch her. Even though it was massive in size and weight, the 17 year old twirled it around like it was nothing, although the ice cream girl did notice a few slight grimaces of pain whenever she tried to swing with her left arm. Neo exercised her theory, keeping far enough away to irritate the girl into swinging the oversized garden tool with increasingly wilder disregard but not too far that she'd resort to shooting at her. Ruby aimed for her head and Neo ducked under it. She aimed for her legs and the attack was jumped over. Time after time the swings kept missing and the pain grew on Ruby's face. Eventually, the crafty ex-mercenary seized the opportunity and, after a particularly wild swing from the cloaked girl, Neo dashed in and struck hard on the girl's left shoulder - harder than she actually intended - causing a loud and very recognisable crunch and pop sound as her shoulder was forcefully dislocated by the woman. As Neo's eyes blinked to a ghostly white, Ruby's scream of agony could have been heard all the way in Vale it seemed that loud. Yang most definitely heard; her hair erupted in a golden flame and her eyes glowed red in an instant - she was prepared to risk everything to stop this woman from killing her baby sister. She felt the roar of rage rising rapidly through her body so fast that it started flowing into her Mate as well, Blake's eyes almost glowing as well as they both prepared to charge Neo.

But before anyone else could react, a persimmon coloured beam of energy shot Neo in the side and sent her flying away from the crippled leader. Lulu stood there, her arm dropping after the shot was fired and Nylan raced in, skidding to a halt in front of Ruby, with Weiss joining them there.

"Ruby, are you alright? Please be alright." Weiss almost begged that her partner be alright, it was so unlike her. Even in the 2 years they'd know each other Weiss had never really cried like she was now. There were no restrictions, no barriers, no walls of ice to stop the emotions flowing. "I can't lose you Ruby, I-"

"Weiss..." Ruby managed through gritted teeth, "not dead... just in pain..." Whilst her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, she sighed in relief.

"You dolt... hold still, move your other hand unless you want it stuck there." Ruby did as she was told, and Weiss pointed her rapier at Ruby's shoulder. She took her left hand in her right, as she spun the Dust cylinders to land on Ice. "Ready?" With a teary nod, Weiss pushed the shoulder back into place and then shot it with Ice Dust, encasing the joint in a block of ice. Even though the bitter cold helped, it still didn't completely rid her of the pain as she screamed once again. "Ruby, relax. I've got you." The Heiress hauled her partner up and walked her away from the fight.

As this was happening, Neo steadied herself and stood after the blast, her jacket now charred on one side after Lulu's blast.

 _At least she'll be exhausted now,_ Neo thought to herself as she clutched her burning side and turned to face the girl who caused the pain, _and an exhausted target is an easier target._

"Lulu, watch yourself, she's going after you."

~ _Shit!_ ~ She shot Fox a look, who smugly grinned at her; she couldn't think of any strategies with him nearby, he'd only broadcast them to everyone else. Everything needed to be an on the fly decision. He thought he was being clever, calling out her thoughts for everyone to hear, but in reality, doing this just made their job a whole lot trickier. Heterochromia glanced over at the retreating White and Red pair; they would be the easiest to deal with, but she had much more pressing problems on her hands - like the glowing older sister and her partner who both looked like they were ready to beat her into the dirt for hurting Ruby. Her eyes darted around the area trying to find her mark. _Where is she?_

"Where is who, Neo? Where's your back-up? She's not coming, and even if she was we've got our own back-up coming in soon as well."

"Team JNPR's coming along with Yatsuhashi and Velvet, they said they'd be here in three," Yang growled, "which means I've got plenty of time to hurt you after what you did to my sister!"

~ _3 minutes, that's all I've got to last._ ~ At this point, she didn't care that Fox could hear her thoughts, she'd gone from a 5-vs-1 fight against her to a 7-vs-1 fight against her, winning this battle really _was_ hopeless.

"Face it, you're outnumbered and outgunned Neo. Why don't you give yourself up now?"

~ _I can't... not yet..._ ~

"What do you mean 'Not yet'?" Everyone straightened up in confusion.

~ _If I stop fighting you or if I fail, I die. I can't stop yet!_ ~ With that, she burst forward at a staggering speed towards Fox, the Aura Replenisher having done its job and revitalised her completely. Everyone was stunned by the burst of speed that no one had the chance to dash forward and stop her. Well, no one except Nylan, who was the only one there fast enough to stop her even if they'd all noticed. Her sword clashed with Neo's blade, sending sparks flying as metal collided with metal. Neo was relentless with her attacks. She very rarely went all out in a fight, so seeing her like this was... scary, really.

~ _This isn't what I want Fox._ ~ She swung hard at Nylan, knocking the sword lose from her grip. ~ _Trust me, it isn't even close._ ~ With a quick headbutt, she dazed the Second Year Faunus, yet before she could deliver a more substantial blow three bullets flew past her as Quentin was firing his weapon at her; a three burst shot assault rifle. ~ _But I don't want to die._ ~ Quentin kept firing, but Neo kept dodging, getting ever closer to him. With three final shots he swapped it to its melee form of a large battle axe and attacked where Neo was. The blade almost embedded itself into the cobblestone on that attack, but the boy fired a shot at the last second to send the sharp end shooting backwards to catch the assailant with a sneak attack. Unfortunately, she was prepared for that and cartwheeled over the strike.

~ _I've got promises I've not kept,_ ~ she exchanged a few blows with Quentin and started gaining the upper hand on him, that was until Viola joined in the fight, her hammer and his battle axe larger than her own weapons and much harder hitting, but slower, ~ _I still have questions to ask, and answers to find,_ ~ the patterned pair attempted a joint strike on Neo - Quentin going high and Viola low - and Neo let the attacks hit her, for the second they did the Neo that stood there was nothing more than shattered remains as the real Neo appeared above Lulu, a swift kick connecting with her head before landing and shooting off to battle her own team leader ~ _I still have a full life to live!_ ~

Neo toyed with Coco, it was fun but it also stretched out the time a bit more. The mute wore a frustrated smirk as she danced around her leader, peppering her with the occasional smack of the sheathed weapon, ending with a low strike from the handle end that tripped her up. From there, she jumped with a graceful front flip to where Blake stood. ~ _If I die now, there's no way of telling if your sight will remain gone._ ~ Neo wound up aiming a heavy strike to the Faunus' head, but the strike was interrupted by one from Yang cracking her right across the jaw and sent her spiralling, the heavy brawler having been surprisingly quiet on approach.

"I think there's some payback due for that time on the train, Neo," Yang spat at the ice cream girl, blood from where she bit the inside of her cheek after the shotgun aided punch connected pooling in her mouth. Neo glanced up briefly to see the Partners working together to attack her. As they moved around her, Yang fired off a single round from her left gauntlet in front of Neo and one from her right at her as Blake shot rounds behind her. They were baiting her. If she rolled forwards or stayed still, she'd be hit by Yang's rounds. Backwards and there'd be Blake's bullets waiting. Either side meant she'd need to deal with one of them. She chose Option 6 - teleport.

~ _I want you to see me again, so I need you to focus on fighting me_.~

"Neo, I don't understand."

~ _And that's my point._ ~ As parasol collided with fist and katana over and over again, Neo heard a call from off to one side of the courtyard and saw 6 students running towards her. JNPR, Velvet and Yatsuhashi were here. She grinned, then set her plan into motion. With a slight shift in her posture, she forced Yang completely off balance and sent her flying into Blake. From there, she teleported once more to Fox and wrapped her arms around him, locking her arms together and trapping his own by his side. ~ _This is what I wanted._ ~

"Neo, what are you doing?!"

~ _What you planned on doing to me anyway._ ~ As the sound started, Fox suddenly clued on to her plan.

"Yatsu! Quick!" The giant nodded, then ran and scooped Nora up and, using all his might, hurled her towards the pair, the Valkyrie giggling all the way. Nora tackled the pair to the ground as the sound grew closer to its peak.

"Hey there," she grinned. Neo smiled as Nora removed her from Fox and caught her in a bear hug.

"Nora, it may hurt a lot," Fox reminded her in a hurry, "you and Neo."

"I know, silly. But I'm gonna be bouncing off the walls in a minute!"

"Gods help us..." Ren muttered as he saw the sight unfold in front of him. The pause between the end of the sound and the start of the pain seemed eerily long, but the pained expressions of the Faunus' present said otherwise.

"It's still going!" Velvet cried, "they're going to kill her!" Pink and brown blinked to white in fear as she looked at Fox, who saw her very Aura almost shake in fear. Regardless of the risk, Fox stood and hugged Neo tight.

~ _You'll die if you stay here,_ ~ Neo mentioned, but at the same time not releasing her hold on the young man.

"Why would I want to live without you in my life?" Tears formed in Neo's eyes as she started to shift her head closer to his.

~ _Sap_.~

~ _Love you too._ ~

Their lips connected for all of two seconds before the electricity started flowing. Velvet wasn't kidding, this was meant to kill. The shock was near unbearable and Fox wanted to cry in pain, but deep down he felt bad for the fact that he could and Neo - who was getting much more of a shock than he was - couldn't. The couple remained embracing even through it all whilst Nora stood there taking as much of the onslaught as she could. Her hands moved to Neo's wrists and clamped tight onto the bracelets she was given. With a cry of effort, Nora's fingers started digging into the metal, the electricity giving her a new lease of life and boosting her power to levels she hadn't experienced before.

In a couple of seconds, she shattered the metal and send an electric blue pulse of energy outwards from the breaking point, flinging most of the students back from the blast.

When the dust finally settled, Nora was equally buzzing with energy but exhausted at the same time. Fox's skin was singed in a couple of places, but overall he seemed relatively okay. Neo, on the other hand, looked about ready to die there and then. Her skin was pale, more so than before, and it was covered in streaks where the bolts of lightning had arced over her body. Nora had taken a lot of it, but Neo still came out worst.

~ _Fox..._ ~ she managed, her eyes opening after a lot of effort. He returned the gesture, and with a small gasp from him, Neo looked back into copper brown eyes once more.

~ _Nice to see you again Neo._ ~

~ _Take our card..._ ~ she started, her eyes becoming heavier and consciousness fading fast, ~ _Ruby's now owed a lot of cookies..._ ~ The couple smiled before the mute drifted into unconsciousness and experienced the first decent rest she'd had in nearly a month.

* * *

**{END OF ACT 1}**


	16. Bedbound

**KEY:**

"Speech"  
_Thought_  
{" _Sign Language_ "}  
_~Thought Talking~_  
**Scroll message**  
_*Scroll call*_

* * *

Ruby and Weiss weren't there for the climax of the battle, so were very obviously equal parts scared and angry at seeing Neo brought into the Infirmary. Though they could only assume it meant that the mission was a success, she had dislocated Ruby's already poor shoulder, so there was a lot of explaining she needed to do to the Team RWBY partners.

"Ruby..." She turned to face her partner who, for one of the first times in the years they'd know each other, looked genuinely terrified.

"Weiss? What's wrong?" As much as she tried, she couldn't hide her feelings away from Ruby, as much as she tried.

"I will be completely honest with you Ruby; I can't do this anymore." Those words caused the young leader's heart to sink. This was not how she wanted her day to go at all.

"Weiss..." she muttered with shaky breath, "What'd you mean? Are we... are you..." The prospect of rejection stung like a blade and tears couldn't be stopped. The reaper, usually brave and strong, crumbled and started crying. "Weiss please! Don't do that! Don't-"

"Ruby! Let me finish."

"But if I let you finish then that means we finish and I don't want us to because we've grown so close over the past years even though we weren't supposed to because of your Father and now I feel like I've just become a burden to you and you're breaking up with me even though we were never technically together but we were so close we might as well have been and I don't want that!" Through the crying, Weiss cuddled up to Ruby and let out a small laugh.

"Oh Ruby, you dolt..." The younger woman gasped and looked at her partner with teary eyes.

"You only say that when you care... that means..."

"That I'm not breaking up with you, yes." Ruby couldn't stop herself, she flung straight at Weiss with a powerful hug, even from such a short distance away. "Oof! Easy Ruby, your arm won't get better if you keep doing that."

"Sorry." She also realised that she was hugging Weiss. "Ah! Sorry! I know we shouldn't be hugging but it felt do right to do and I couldn't stop myself and I-" The Heiress placed a finger on Ruby's lips, cutting her babbling completely.

"Stop. Honestly, I don't know why I put up with you." The pained look came back to the young Huntress. "Oh, wait, I do know." Without warning, Weiss leaned in and placed a small but tender kiss on Ruby's forehead. "It's because I care for you too much." At this point all Ruby could do was make odd noises; it was about all she could do, but it summed up her thoughts perfectly - all over the place and unable to form words to describe it. "When I said I can't do this anymore, I meant about this whole waiting thing. I like to think I gained a lot of patience when I was younger-" Ruby softly giggled at that, earning her a glare that didn't fazed her at all anymore, she saw past the icy exterior "-and even so, there was only so much I could take. This, what my Father is doing to us, is wrong. We both like each other a lot, and have done for a long while now. I went to my Father because I was unsure of what to do, and because it was what Winter suggested; second biggest mistake of my life."

"What was the biggest?"

"Listening to him. He forced us into doing this because it was his way of controlling us. By taking things as slowly as he could force them to go, it made things more difficult. It's his game. A game he always wins in the end. Winter lost. She went too far too fast and as such my Father refused her the role of Heiress. She broke up with her boyfriend just to get back on his good side, but the damage had been done and his word was spoken. She wallowed for about a month before she decided that if she was going to essentially be disowned by him, then she could do what she wanted in life. That's how she came to be part of the Atlas Military. As for me, I was too young to truly realise what had happened with her. But now the shoe is on the other foot and I have to deal with the same things she did, I have the upmost respect for her, more than my Father could ever earn from me."

"So... what does that have to do with us?"

"Everything. I am doing what she did, only I'm being _pro-_ active whilst Winter was _re-_ active. The reason my Father wanted me to wait as long as possible with you was because he still saw it in me that I'd prioritise the Schnee Dust Company over anyone else on Remnant. It's what he did, and I have to live without a Mother as a reminder of his acts." Ruby looked downcast at the fact Weiss had just spilt some pretty heavy information on her so casually - her Mother was dead. "She isn't dead, she's just drinking her life away in the gardens back home." Oh. Never mind then. "I don't want it anymore. I plan to move as much money as I can away from any accounts he may hold over me so I'm not completely cutting myself off, then I will inform him that there is one thing I care for more in this world than being the Heir to a company I had lost interest in being part of a while ago. Ruby Rose, I love you too much to let him get in the way anymore."

Both of them had wanted to do this for a long time, but Weiss was adamant on keeping to the book that she and Ruby wrote up to please her Father, again not because she really wanted to. Admittedly, they did make constant revisions to the content a lot, more in recent months than at the start - but this never moved. Now that Weiss had thrown that book out of the window (only metaphorically, the literal part shall come later) there was nothing to stop her. The couple's lips connected and nearly 14 months worth of feelings poured out in that one gesture. Ruby's good arm came up to cup Weiss' cheek whilst the platinum haired woman wrapped her arm around her younger leader's head, resting her hand on the back of it.

The girls' lips parted but their foreheads remained touching. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time." Only after each girl had spoken did they register that the other had said the exact same thing at the exact same time. Their eyes widened, silver eyes staring into ice blue, and after a second of letting the situation sink in, they both laughed.

"I love you Weiss. Gods, I love you so much."

"I love you too Ruby."

"Well it's about damn time." Both girls nearly jumped out of their skins when Yang spoke, her arm wrapped around Blake and her signature grin plastered all over it.

" _Yang Xiao Long!_ Do you have _any_ concept of privacy?!"

"Uh oh, she used my full name. I'm in big trouble..." she 'whispered' to Blake, clearly trying to wind Weiss up. And it was working wonders.

"How did you even get in here without us hearing you?"

"A lot more of our traits are bleeding into one another now that the initial year has passed. Yang can be a bit quieter at times-"

"Which is great for sneaking into a room with my baby sister and her girlfriend making out and surprising them!"

"-and I tend to be a bit more adventurous with certain things than I usually was before."

"We'd noticed," their leader deadpanned. The Faunus blushed heavily, turning to face her Mate with a look of both panic and anger.

"I _told_ you they'd hear us!" Yang looked panicked and turned to Ruby, who sat in her bed with her arms folded and a scowl planted on her face.

"Rubes, I think it's time you and I had 'The Talk'."

"Yang I am not a child!" she screamed, trying to jump up and hit her sister. The combination of Weiss holding her down and the sudden jarring pain on her left hand side halted her charge at the blonde, who at this point was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. The actually Cat in the room looked just about as displeased as the soon-to-be-ex-Heiress was, but Yang knew all too well that at least one of them didn't act the way they looked.

"You can't hide it baby," she gently reminded her Partner, "you're enjoying this."

"I'm trying to not annoy Weiss and Ruby any more than they already are," she retorted, "kindly shut up about it."

"Actually, it is a good thing you two are here," the blue eyed girl mentioned, gesturing for the older two to sit down, "we need to discuss a few things together as a team. Most importantly, the best way for me to inform my Father that I am stepping down as Heiress because my love life is more important than the company."

"Wow..." was all Yang could manage, which was one word more than Blake. "Why'd you want to do that Ice Queen?"

"Because fuck him, that's why!" Everyone was taken aback by Weiss' sudden potty mouth, including Weiss herself. But soon a small smirk found its way onto her lips. "It's so nice to be able to say what I want without fear of being reprimanded anymore."

"Easy their, Sailor," Blake joked, another one of Yang's traits slipping through, "you're still not out of his grasp just yet."

"But we are going to fix that," came Yang's response, awash with a newfound respect for the young woman.

"And we're going to do it as a team!" WBY all nodded at their leader's statement, knowing it to be true. "But first..." this however, took them by surprise, "...can someone get me a shot of Morphine or something? My arm is killing me right now." The brunette's awkward grin only made it easier for the older three to burst into laughter, closely followed by Ruby herself.

* * *

The beeping continued steadily, which was good. Her breathing was constant and comfortable, which was also good. What wasn't was the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. Oum only knows how many times she had been shocked like that, but if what Fox had said was to be believed then it was at least 10 - and everyone knew that number was most likely massively lower than it really was. Yatsuhashi was sat with Velvet and Coco with her, watching over and making sure she was okay. Fox wasn't there at present, he had a few errands he needed to run, and now that he had his sight back, running them was so much easier. In his place was Lulu, who had opted to stay because she felt bad for hitting her with that attack, and she wanted to be there to check the damage. She hadn't used that attack on a person in a very long time, only ever opting to use it under the most extreme of circumstances on various Creatures of Grimm, so her worry was understandable. CVY and Lulu maintained light conversation just to keep the volume in the room from above silence, and they remained that way until the topic of the Second Year's semblance came up.

"In a sense it's a hereditary semblance, much like the Schnees with their glyphs. Persimmons have naturally higher Aura levels than most families because of this. We can manipulate our Aura to essentially make energy weapons. There have been a few of our family in the past who have managed to create weapons using only their imagination and perseverance, however most of us need to have a conduit to do so. That's where our weapons come in, they're there to better help us chanel our own Aura to better suit our personal needs. My Chakram were perfect for me because of how I like to keep fighting in enclosed spaces, but also have the option for longer ranged combat if push came to shove. Ever since I've had them I've made many adjustments and modifications to make them my own. I normally have had great control over my semblance, and the Chakram helped massively, however the first time I used my semblance for that energy beam was... costly."

"You didn't kill anyone, did you?" came the anxious reply of Coco.

"Dust, no. I didn't mean 'people's lives' costly, I meant more 'property damage' costly."

"Phew," she sighed, wiping her brow as a joke gesture but realising that she did actually wipe away a small amount of sweat that had started to form on her forehead. The thought of having her accidently kill someone through a weapon mishap was a thought that was all too scary and one she wished she had never thought of in the first place. "I know the feeling. First time I fired my weapon, I wasn't prepared for the recoil and I ended up being lifted off the ground and flying about 20 metres backwards, I practically destroyed half the wall I was firing towards as my safety barrier and I even chopped down a few trees in the process; all whilst simultaneously screaming like a child and missing my intended target entirely."

"Wow, and I thought mine was bad. But at least yours was outside. When he thought I was ready, my Father took me to our indoors firing range to get an idea of how the weapons would work at a distance. I first started firing the energy from my hand in small bursts, which was really cool when I started, but after a few shots I got cocky and held the shot for too long. That's when I realised I could fire a beam of energy if I did that. It was unchecked, so I ended up burning a thick 'battle scar' right into the walls and ceiling. Fair's to say, I needed to make some adjustments to my weapons to keep that beam in check." The four of them laughed at the younger girl's misfortune, recounting tales of their own weapon mishaps. They were happy, until they were silenced by the soft yet strained groaning from Neo as she drifted back into consciousness.

"Welcome back Neo." The tri coloured woman grimaced and started signing to them.

{" _Was your voice always that low, or are you just doing that deliberately?_ "} Yatsuhashi couldn't help himself but smile, as did Coco and Velvet, seeing their teammate back to her normal ways. Lulu looked around a little worried before speaking up.

"Yeah... I have no idea what you just said." She had a right to be so, for all she knew they could have been sharing a joke at her own expense.

"Sorry, I forget sometimes that not everybody knows Sign - even though we all should. But how did you speak with Neo before if you couldn't understand her?"

"Well; a) Pen & Paper, b) Scrolls, or c) Fox." Velvet shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But regardless, it had nothing to do with you." Lulu breathed a sigh of relief.

{" _Wait, where is Fox?_ "} The bedbound woman looked around frantically, her breathing getting quicker and shallower, eyes darting backwards and forwards on the verge of turning white and her heartrate climbing at a worryingly fast rate. Coco was quick to notice this and went straight to the bed, removing her sunglasses en route.

"Hey Neo, look at me. Focus on me." Her hands rested on the smaller woman's shoulders with a soft and comforting yet firm grip. "Breathe Neo." It took a couple of seconds for the orders to register with the mute, but eventually they sunk in and she began coming down off her self-induced panic. "Fox is out at the moment."

"You sent him off to run some errands," Velvet added. "Before you lost consciousness, he said you told him to go get Ruby a box of her favourite cookies because of what you did to her." This time, Neo's eyes did indeed turn vanilla white. As they did, tears started running down her face and she began to cry. Coco's hands moved from their position on her shoulders to wrap them around the woman's neck, getting her in a nice, warm, reassuring hug, one that Neo reciprocated.

"Shh, it's okay Neo. Don't blame yourself, you didn't know what you-" The fashionista stopped herself when she felt Neo signing behind her back, but not wanting to release the hug she let someone else dictate to her once the message was over. "What'd she say guys?"

"She said," Yatsuhashi began, "that she did have complete awareness of what she was doing the entire time. Salem thought that she had brainwashed her completely, but she was just playing along. Ruby was never meant to be hurt like this." Coco eased out of the hug, letting Neo talk to her directly.

"{ _I was always aware, so I didn't mean to hurt Ruby like I did. I only meant to push her arm a little bit and throw her off, there was no intention to dislocate it and now I feel bad for..._ "} she couldn't finish signing as the tears came back in full force.

"Neo, Neo it's alright. If you explain that to her I am positive she will be okay. She'll be sore for a while, but she's a strong girl." The sobbing continued, even after those kind words of encouragement. Everyone just let the tears flow, it would be easier for her.

"Okay," Velvet mentioned, nervous in bringing this up, especially now with Neo being so emotionally vulnerable. But it was definitely something that couldn't go unasked. "I'm happy that you're back safe and sound. But I saw the photos of what you did in Hai-no Hana."

Coco also turned her attention back to Neo, that particular memory of the OG Team CFVY sitting with ice cream in fear having been forgotten in favour of making sure Neo was safe on her return. "Neo, I want the truth. Got it?" The mute nodded, apprehension in her action. "Did you or did you not kill the villagers of Hai-no Hana?"

* * *

_The sweat practically materialised out of nothing on his forehead as the woman grabbed her Scroll and started typing away at the screen. He tried squirming, but she applied a little more pressure to the hold, keeping him there. When she was done, she turned the screen around for him to see what she had written. His eyes locked on to her to see if she was bluffing about that._

_The smirk assured him she wasn't._

**_I need the village for_ _a_ _photoshoot_ **

_"I... I don't understand." The look she gave him was one that told him he didn't_ need _to understand, he just needed to comply with._

_He understood that look just fine on his own._

**~000~**

_"It is quite a big ask from us," the man commented to Neo after she had written out her plans. "To do all of this in such a short time frame; it's not impossible, but it is a lot."_

**_I know it's a lot,_ ** _she typed out for them,_ **_but we have to be as convincing as possible. Once I get the funds, I can and will reimburse Hai-no Hana for any losses_ **

_"The funds will likely be extremely high for this to be as convincing as you ar-"_

_"That won't be necessary, Neo," a man from the back said with confidence. Neo spotted him and grinned; a tall man with tan skin, dark hair and a thick beard that hid the gentleness behind it. "You and my son had done a great service to this village. If I may be of assistance now, I will gladly help." Neo bowed as a thanks._

**~000~**

_This wasn't what she was used to - the mute much preferred to get up close and personal. It made things more intimate. From here, it was far less so._

_She readied herself, aimed through the telescopic lens she had, and started shooting._

*KaChsssk!*

_Cameras like Velvet's were purpose built for this sort of thing, but with Scrolls being more advanced in near enough every way, they were thrown to the wayside. However, it had the 'advantage' of being behind in terms of quality of the shots._

*KaChsssk!*

_Were this shot with her Scroll, you could easily tell the villagers were sitting in pools of red paint and dyed red water. From afar with this camera, even with the telescopic lens she brought just to make sure she got as close as she dared, the focus could only do so much, and the lie was convincing enough. The fires were a nice touch for the background too, added to the realism, also got rid of some rubbish in the village._

**~000~**

_She grabbed her things and jumped down to the ground, her Aura cushioning the fall from that height, as she landed by the head of the young boy curled in a ball at the end of them all. Smirking, she tapped the floor by his head three times with her parasol, then proceeded to walk away. The kid jumped up and hugged Neo as the rest of the villagers stretched from their positions on the floor, blurting how cool that was to do. She did her best to convey how brave she was for letting the her use the young girl as the model for the up close shot, whilst also tending to the small skin puncture she gave her with her hidden blade. The girl was rewarded with a good sum of Lien from Neo's stash - it wasn't exactly hers anyway, though why Salem of all... could she call Salem a person? Why Salem had a stash of it, she had no clue._

* * *

"You went through all of that, just to convince them that you killed the village?" Coco summarised completely dumbfounded. "To convince _us?_ "

" _{Yeah}_ "

"Why?!"

" _{You all needed time to plan too. This was stalling.}_ " Coco couldn't help herself but chuckle at the brilliance of the simple explanation. 

After Neo had eventually explained herself in as much detail as she could to the members of her team present and to Lulu, a familiar looking copper haired boy walked through the door. Neo's eyes lit up for the first time since they properly saw each other last. He smiled at the sight, his own eyes adjusting once more to having vision.

"Hey guys." He cast his eyes to the woman in the Infirmary bed, her hair a mess having been shocked to Kingdom Come and back, for the past few weeks and her body most likely bruised but her smile still remaining strong on seeing him again. "How you holding up Neo?"

~ _My eyes sting from all the crying I've been doing, most of my body aches and I'm pretty sure I can feel my side burning from where Lulu shot me._ ~ She rubbed the spot in question to emphasise her point to the Second Year.

"Sorry, I needed to do something, and that was the first thing that came to mind," said Second Year reasoned, having guessed what she was trying to say based off of Fox's comment and Neo's gesture. The smile she received from the ice cream girl affirmed her guess. Neo's head turned back to Fox.

~ _I sent you off to get cookies. Did she enjoy them?_ ~

"Of course she did. She says thanks, and they'll be wanting an explanation from you; they took my word for the moment, but that may not hold for long."

~ _I don't blame them. I wouldn't trust me after what I did._ ~ She grinned as tears formed in her eyes once again. ~ _Now get over here before I start crying again; it's been a month since I saw you last and I am in desperate need of a big cuddle right now._ ~ The copper eyed boy could help himself but smile, then happily granted the request. He walked up to the bed Neo was in and lay down on the far side, wrapping his scarred arms around her neck. She hugged him too, holding onto his waist with both arms. She leaned in, eager to take in the smell of him. It had been so long for her since she'd done this last, and she felt that she needed to make up for the deficit in her life. ~ _I have missed this so much, you have no idea..._ ~

"I'm a little confused though, how is it that you said a month has passed? It's been, like, three days."

"I, too, would like to hear an explanation for this," said Yatsuhashi on hearing Fox's remark. Seeing as how the conversation was most likely going to turn into something either personal and / or something she didn't particularly want to be a part of, Lulu stood and headed for the door.

"I think I'll leave you five alone for now, you've obviously got some catching up to do."

~ _Stop her._ ~

"Wait, Lulu!" Fox's call managed to reach her before she had completely disappeared from earshot. As she popped her head back in the room, Fox nodded at Neo as she told him what she wanted him to relay to her. "Neo wanted to tell you, but can't for obvious reasons. We've taken on a mission to 'The Four Season Springs'. We're going to attempt to find and destroy that monster that caught you off guard." The grey and orange themed girl exhaled in thankful disbelief.

"You guys... everyone's going to be thrilled to hear that, they are. Kick its ass for us." With that, she left the room. Velvet broke the silence.

"She is such a sweet girl."

{" _You have Coco, are you not satisfied with her anymore?_ "}

"That's not-"

"Velvet, you vile Faunus! How could you?" The fashionista threw the back of her hand to her forehead in an extreme diva overreaction - played for laughs, of course. She matched the ridiculous gesture with an equally ridiculous and dramatic voice. "After everything I have done for you, your eyes fall to another woman. A Persimmon too; of all who could have caught your eye." She stood now, acting out her scene without a care in the world. "I am an Adel, sworn enemy of the Persimmon. They stole from us back in days gone, and now they attempt to steal from us again. Well I say, no more!" With a flick of the hair and an extreme turned up nose, she marched out of the room in a faux huff, causing laughs from the three others who could. Neo was laughing too, but no one could hear.

"It's good to have you back Neo, it really is."

{" _It's good to be back. I missed you all. I think I'll leave my explaining for later, now I just want a bit of rest and some cuddle time with my boyfriend._ "}

"That's fine." Velvet looked like she was about to continue, but her ears caught the conversation of Coco from outside, the caramel coloured girl having left the door ajar from her exit.

"Lulu Persimmon you fiend! You have stolen the eyes and heart of my beloved cottontail, Velvet. Prepare for death!" The Rabbit Faunus took it all as a bit of light humour at her expense, considering her enhanced hearing. That was, until the next few sounds came to light.

"Coco, what are you doing?!"

_WWRRRRRRRRRR_

"No! Have mercy!"

"Coco, NO!" The mage never moved so fast in her life, springing from her position in the chair and throwing herself out of the door towards her girlfriend, who had pulled her heavy-duty weapon out and was most likely literally threatening the Second Year with the six barrels of whirling death. Once she'd disappeared and Yatsuhashi following soon after, Fox and Neo were left alone in the room in/on the Infirmary bed. The taller of the two rest his head atop the other and sighed.

"Aren't you glad to be back?" he asked, not really needing an answer but eager to hear it nonetheless.

~ _Coco threatening someone to protect Velvet, Velvs being second-hand embarrassed of Coco doing it, Yatsu being quiet - it's like I never left._ ~

* * *

**~-OMAKE-~**

Team JPR walked away from it all battered and bruised. All three of them collectively agreed, it was a hard fought battle, harder than any they had faced before. Hopefully, they never would have to face one similar to it again. They passed Professor Ozpin in the hallway.

"Ah, hello there you three. I trust everything went well?" Hesitant at first, the resident ninja slowly nodded at the question.

"Just... please keep her safe. She is family to us."

"Of course. We wouldn't do anything less for our students." Breathing a sigh of relief, the four of them walked away.

Back in the room the students just walked out of, Nora Valkyrie was strapped in a straight jacket, tied together with thick metals chains, bolted to the floor and ceiling with a dozen tranquilizers trained on her body. She was twitching and shaking violently, even as three Goliath tranquilizers were stuck in her neck.

"So... much... energy!" she buzzed, grinning maniacally at the 'hidden' camera in the corner of the room. That grin turned into a full blown cackle that echoed throughout the Infirmary, even through the padded walls she was confined behind.


	17. "Listen, that rabbit’s got a viscious streak a mile wide, [she’s] a killer." - Tim the Enchanter

Have you ever been intimidated by a bunny?

Has one ever threatened you? No, because they're not exactly the scariest animals known. They're not even on the list.

Kittens are on the list (those claws can hurt something fierce). Bunnies? Not a chance... well, maybe one or two.

Coco remembered when Velvet took her home over one break to meet her family and one of her Great-Aunts mentioned about a distant ancestor of theirs. Very calm and peaceful most of the time, but tended to have very violent outbursts when he felt threatened. An Albino Rabbit Faunus - which was just the epitome of every discriminatory thing on Remnant - with a very weird name too. Caerbannog, if she remembered correctly.

Besides him, a rare exception, most rabbits are completely harmless and are not threatening whatsoever.

Velvet stared at her girlfriend with the sternest face she could manage, but Coco found it very hard to keep a straight face when she did. Her nose wrinkled a little bit, her ears were pointed back a bit and she stood with her hands on her hips leaning towards the caramel coloured woman. If she was completely truthful, it was a really cute sight to see her try and be angry - she was so close to laughing or getting up and hugging her saying how adorable she looked when she was trying to be threatening. But Coco held back, at least for now.

"I still can't believe you did that. Do you know how scared I was?" With the expression she was sporting when she rounded the corner back then, Coco would have guessed 'I'm going have a heart attack if that happens again' levels of scared. "What were you thinking?"

"Honestly, I wanted to have a bit of fun and give Neo a good laugh. She _had_ been stuck essentially in a torture chamber for a month, she's going to need cheering up."

With a heavy sigh and pinching the bridge of her nose, the mage responded. "I am aware of that Coco. But why on _Remnant_ did the thought of you threatening Lulu with your weapon to get me running out of the room only to see you laughing at it cross your mind in the first place? That's just ridiculous!"

"Look, I'm sorry hunny-bun," she admitted, holding her hands up in defeat, "I got a little carried away, and I was improvising on the spot. It was the first thing I thought of, otherwise it's not improv."

"A little? Coco, you threatened her with a Gatling gun, how is _that_ getting 'a little carried away'?" The urge to laugh finally outweighed the seriousness of the conversation and Coco surrendered herself to the outburst. She was thankful that she'd put her sunglasses back on before this talk happened, else there was a very strong possibility that she would have been laughing much earlier. "Now what?!"

"I'm... hahaha... oh, I'm sorry hun, I... hahahaha, I... ha... I can't take you seriously when you... try to threaten me... hehehe. Oh, you're just too adorable to be scary." With all the anger on Velvet's part, Lulu thought that she could try and sneak away back to the class she was supposed to be in right now. The girl managed to make it three shuffled steps from where she originally was before a hard light sword plunged itself straight into the wall in front of her face.

"Don't even think about taking another step. I still need to speak with you." Coco had been on a team with Velvet for 3 years, and her girlfriend for a large portion of that; she was used to her 'threatening' behaviour to the point it clearly didn't bother her anymore. Lulu had never experienced it and was understandably scared when the mage threw a sword inches from her face and embedded it into the wall with a scowl that would have killed her where she stood if looks could do such a thing. There was almost an evil in the voice that she was not willing to see be completely unleashed, so within the blink of an eye the girl returned to where she was before that.

 _How can she be so shy and timid one minute then downright terrifying the next?_ the orange and grey girl thought to herself, scared to even faintly move a muscle in thought.

Outside the room, the remaining members of CFVYN stood patiently waiting, Neo having been discharged but informed to keep away from strenuous activities for the next day or two to let things heal naturally.

"Velvet must be really annoyed with her if she resorted to throwing weapons around," Yatsuhashi commented, watching as the hard light blade faded from the wall opposite him.

{" _I think that one must have been for Lulu; there would have been far more shouting if it was for Coco,_ "} Neo mentioned, recalling previous instances of this happening to varying degrees over the year and a bit they'd been together as a team.

"True." Fox glanced up at the clock down the hall, noting the time. "But do you think she could hurry it up a little? I know what Viola's like when she gets worried first-hand. Let me tell you, _my_ hand felt weird for days after with how much she was squeezing it in fear."

~ _I dunno, it seemed fine to me that night._ ~

~ _You have been gone for a handful of days,_ ~ Fox sighed. He wasn't exactly complaining, but it was more a "this again?" sigh. ~ _Why is it every time I want to talk about something serious, it always comes back to sex with you?_ ~

~ _Give a girl a break; I'd been tortured for a month with no respite, and I am understandably pent up from not getting any time for fun._ ~ He rolled his eyes with a smirk, obviously not annoyed at her but playing along for the sake of it. ~ _Also, "handful"? Really?_ ~ Before he got a chance to let his blush cover his entire face, the door opened and the girls in there walked out, Velvet bringing up the rear.

"Are you all alright now?" Yatsuhashi was greeted with two almost sheepish nods from the oldest and youngest asked. The middle child walked past the pair of them and spoke directly to her giant teammate.

"They're fine Yatsu. Both of them have apologised for scaring me and they Won't. Do. It. Again." The last for words were all punctuated with firm pauses after every word, something the younger of the two flinched at. "Will you?"

"I've learnt my lesson," Lulu said, keeping her gazed fixed anywhere but the scarily intimidating looking Faunus stood in front of her, "now can I shoot off now before I get an even bigger bollocking from my team leader?"

~ _Asking permission to leave? Jeez, Velvet can be ruthless when she wants to be._ ~ The copper haired boy nodded at his girlfriend's inner comment as the Faunus nodded and let the warrior leave, with an express warning to never do that again. "I have over two dozen weapons stored in my camera," she told Lulu matter of factly, reaching her arm out to stop her moving, "each with many different ways of making you pay for doing that again. I will use as many as I need to." Velvet can be _incredibly_ ruthless, so much so it actually scared a few of them. When the girl had gone, she turned her attention to her girlfriend.

"And as for you..." even behind sunglasses, all three onlookers saw the panic that appeared in the eyes of their "fearless" leader.

"Looks, Velvs, I said it was just a-" The fashionista was silenced by Velvet holding up a hand.

"You are going to take me to dinner."

"I... what? You give poor Lulu a hard time for going along with this, and then change your tune and say 'let's eat out' for me?" Fox immaturely giggled at Coco's phrasing. As did Neo, albeit silently.

"You are going to take myself and Yatsuhashi out for a nice dinner on the town, preferably the far side - we haven't been there in a while. That means that Fox and Neo will have the dorm all to themselves for a few hours. They deserve it. Then tomorrow, we can head off to 'The Four Season Springs' and get this mission done. C'mon Yatsu, let's go get our outfits sorted." The bunny started walking, but stopped after only a couple of steps, turning her head back to stare at Coco and spoke with an eerily genuine smile. "Nothing too fancy though, hun. I'm not in the mood to properly dress up tonight." With that final remark, she walked off, grabbing the tank's hand as she passed and almost dragging him for the first few steps before he complied and started walking with her. Coco could do nothing but stare completely slack-jawed at what just happened.

_Okay,_ _**that** _ _, I was not expecting._

"I don't think any of us were."

* * *

Yatsuhashi exited the bathroom in his outfit for the night, not wanting to intrude on anyone getting changed in the dorm. He had always done that out of respect for everyone else, all of whom were very comfortable with themselves among their teammates. Not to say he wasn't, but old habits. Not wanting to be too informal, he wore a deep forest green shirt, a pair of mid blue chinos and a pair of smart boots. Velvet was dressed in a similar smart-casual way with a pair of form fitting blue jeans, mint coloured Converse, white top and a mint coloured scarf, topped off with a darker coat because of the slight chill in the air. Coco, after finally being snapped out of the state she was in when the proposition was given to her, got changed into a simple black dress adorned with sparse red flowers that came down to just past her knees, with a pair of simple black flats, a scarlet red functioning handbag, rather than the giant one she was so used to carrying around, and a deep burgundy scarf.

{" _You all look really nice tonight,_ "} Neo mentioned, trying to diffuse the inescapably high tension between the two girls.

"Thank you Neo. Such a dinner calls for some level of dressiness. Well then," the mage smiled at her partner, who's mouth curled up in a worried smile at how calm Velvet was being about the whole situation, "shall we get going you two?"

"I can't wait, hun." Any hint of sarcasm that may have been there normally was nowhere in sight; Coco knew that if Velvet got ticked off at any point tonight, she might as well kiss all snuggling privileges goodbye for months, maybe even years, to come. "Enjoy yourselves guys. Don't do anything I won't be doing for a while." Once again, everything she said was with complete seriousness, and whilst there was always that little bit in the back of her head that hoped otherwise, the rest of her brain knew that the statement would most likely be ringing true.

"Wow Coco, you know me so well. You're right, you won't."

~ _And_ _ **there**_ _it is, the nail in the coffin._ ~ Coco was the first to leave, with Yatsuhashi in close pursuit to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. Again. Velvet hung back to hug the reunited pair.

"I'm so glad you're back together. I know it wasn't a lot on our end, but it must have been hell for you Neo." The mute responded with a nod, she didn't need any more than that.

"Velvet, could you do us a favour?" the scarred boy asked, "Don't stay mad at Coco. She was just trying to lighten the mood."

"Oh, I'm not actually mad with her anymore." Both Fox and Neo recoiled slightly at the revelation. "I was mad for, like, a minute or two. It was just some light humour. This," she indicated to the door, implying the whole dinner thing, "is just my bit of fun in return. She's going to be too scared even try anything remotely silly tonight." Velvet winked at the pair.

{" _Velvet Scarlatina, you sneaky little shit,_ "} Neo grinned as Fox laughed briefly and quietly.

"The Mark works both ways; she has moments where she's timid and frightened from me, and I can take her confidence and assertiveness every now and again. It's so much fun sometimes." On that last remark, the Faunus' face started glowing a little red at the memories she was obviously recalling.

{" _I'll bet it was interesting._ "}

"Neo..."

{" _Come on, you_ _know_ _that's what she was implying. Right, Velvs?_ "} With a quick smile, the mage spun and headed to the door, not wanting them to completely wander off without her.

"You've got three hours, minimum. Have fun you two!" With a final wink, Team CFVYN's dorm door was shut and Fox and Neo were alone, and they would be for at least the next few hours.

"So was that a 'Yes' or..."

~ _It was a "Yes" Fox. She was implying exactly what I thought she was._ ~

"Congratulations, you can read Velvet like a book."

~ _A sexy book. Is it just me or has she gotten more attractive in the last month?_ ~

"No, nothing has changed in the _days_ you weren't here."

~ _Oh shush, that place messed with my head._ ~

"Y'know, you never did explain how that room worked."

~ _...no I didn't. Would you like me to wait, or would you rather just hear it now?_ ~

"Now'll be fine."

~ _Okay then, second question: do you want me to tell you before or after we've fucked each other's brains out?_ ~ Fox couldn't stop himself from laughing at the direct proposition.

"Well, seeing as how you so eloquently phrased your question, and deducing you are feeling a bit deprived, I'm going to say 'after'." He eased his way forwards as he spoke, their lips connecting mere moments after he whispered the final word. As their lips locked and the heat and passion started to rise much like when this first happened back on the Cliffside, Neo spoke to Fox with a grin on her face.

~ _Right answer._ ~

* * *

"So..." he panted, the past 40 minutes taking a lot out of him, "where'd you... want to start?" He flopped onto his back completely, resting on their bed.

~ _Well, there's not a lot I can talk about with that place,~_ she admitted, her inner voice not needing to breathe constantly, despite the fact she was panting to an equal, if not greater, degree than Fox was at present, falling down beside him, ~ _it was scary - I can tell you that for free._ ~ For emphasis, she cuddled closer to him, their naked bodies rubbing against one another giving her a comforting feeling that she had sorely missed in her month away from home, from him. The relieved exhale from her nose along with the accompanying smile made Fox "Aww" at the sight, but despite the praise she decided to ignore it in favour of pressing on. ~ _It was always dark there, like it didn't feel like the sun was ever out, so the sky was a constant red colour. Every time I looked outside I always saw the shattered moon in the sky, and even so it didn't seem to move at all, even though time in my room was increased 20-fold._ ~

"Still haven't explained that" he commented.

~ _Hold your horses, I'm getting there._ ~ She leaned up and pecked him on the tip of his nose, something that slightly took him aback but not something he was complaining about. ~ _Be patient. First, we need to get clean._ ~ The pair shifted, getting themselves clean with a quick shower each. After that and getting changed into their sleepwear, they went back to the bed, but made themselves more comfortable this time by actually climbing into bed rather than resting on it.

"Right, spit it out."

~ _Oh, now you want me to do that._ ~

"It would be-" Fox caught the meaning behind her phrasing. "Oh, for fuck's sake Neo!" he grumbled with fake annoyance with a roll of his eyes. Neo shot him a cheeky smirk. Honestly, he was happy to have her back, so he'd put up with her crudeness for a little while, but there were limits. "You knew what I meant, let's not fight over something trivial like this."

~ _I'm just playing with you Fox._ ~

"You did that earlier, now we talk." Neo silently scoffed, grinning at Fox's remark.

~ _And you're saying_ _ **I'm**_ _doing that too often?_ ~

"Hey, you threw the ball up, I just hit it. Now, let's hear it. Time moving 20 times faster, how is that even possible?"

~ _Salem just said something about "The Relic". Does that mean anything to you?_ ~

"I think Ozpin mentioned it once or twice - in his usual vague manner, of course. He mentioned how The Relics - there are multiple ones, apparently - are physical manifestations of the Gifts of the Gods; Knowledge, Creation, Destruction and Choice. My personal guess would be that if they are what he says they are, then She got a hold of one of those Relics. And my guess would be that Salem's after them all."

~ _That is probably the most sense Ozpin has ever made; though you did through your own opinions in there, so he can't get all the credit for that._ ~ Fox let out a little giggle as he pulled Neo a little closer and kissed the top of her forehead. He caught the smell of the shampoo she used, a smell of sweet citrus wafting through his nose. ~ _Going off what you said,_ ~ she continued, ~ _my guess would be she either had the Relic of Creation or the Relic of Choice._ ~

"What makes you think that Ni?" The ice cream girl's right eye changed its colour to match the pink of her left at the mention of her nickname. She wasn't even sure why Fox called her 'Ni', but even to this day it still made her heart flutter just hearing it. It didn't feel weird in any way, it wasn't discriminatory or harbour any malice in it, it was purely a nickname that Fox gave her; one that she enjoyed hearing immensely. "...Neo? Remnant to Neopolitan?" The woman shook her head, snapping herself out of her mini-daydream.

~ _Sorry hun, lost in thought._ ~

"So I noticed."

~ _Well, it can't be the Destruction Relic, can it? So that one was out of the question straight away. It could be the Knowledge Relic, but the thing itself was being used to power the room, I remember that too, so I guessed it couldn't be that one. That leaves Creation and Choice. Creation is easy; Arthur Watts used the Relic to create a room that, when inside with the door closed, time moves 20 times faster than it does anywhere else._ ~

"Makes sense, but why would it be constantly powering the room?" Neo pondered on that question for a bit longer than she had before; it was just a theory, but she still wanted to give the best answer she could.

~ _It's an orb that has the potential to create anything, what's to stop them from using it to create an infinite energy supply to keep the room working? Maybe that's what she meant when she mentioned Watts had done incredible things. Maybe it's not supposed to be constantly creating as it is, yet he tinkered with it to make it so. That's... an insane prospect, changing something that - by the sound of things - was quite literally a gift from the Gods to your own will. And that's without that other Relic._ ~

"Speaking of, why d'you think it was the Choice Relic?" The mute shrugged.

~ _I mean, I_ _ **did**_ _think it was that, but I'm pretty sure I've talked myself out of it being that with the Creation reasoning._ ~

"Yeah, but maybe it still is." Neo's eyes returned to their Heterochromatic norm as she cocked her head in confusion. "What if he chose that room to have time move faster than usual, and the fact the orb itself was there meant that it was such a substantial request that it needs to be essentially tethered to the room to keep it existing as they chose it to?"

~ _I mean..._ ~

"It's pretty good, right?"

~ _It holds merit, I'll give you that. But I prefer my one better._ ~

"Of course you do," he teased, prodding her when he spoke his comment. She didn't particularly like that, so she prodded back harder. It escalated from there pretty fast. Three more back and forth prods each before Neo opted for a push, which forced Fox to equal. It was only as Fox tried for his fifth push did Neo grab him by the shoulders as she was sent away, pulling him along. Their lips crashed together as she pulled him down and she initiated the making out. Sure, they'd spent the better part of the last hour making up for lost time on Neo's part, but that didn't rule out moments like this afterwards. The couple fought for dominance over and over again, Fox winning out sometimes due to what he believed was the fact that he was bigger and stronger than her. But in the end, Neo won because she was craftier, feistier and actually the stronger of the two.

~ _You going to accept defeat yet, Foxy?_ ~

~ _In your dreams!_ ~ he thought back - talking is very difficult to do when your tongue is fighting against someone else's tongue.

~ _Nah, see in my dreams I'm constantly ramming you with my giant monster cock, and you're taking it like a champ._ ~ A phrase he _never_ would have thought he'd ever hear in his lifetime, especially coming from his girlfriend, Fox's eyes shot open and Neo capitalised on the fact he was distracted. She pushed him flat on his back and held him down by his shoulders. ~ _You gonna submit now?_ ~

"Yeah, okay..." he muttered. Neo beamed with a shut eyed smile and hugged his neck as she collapsed next to him.

~ _Yay! Thank you Fox,_ ~ she partially joked, ~ _you're the best boyfriend on the planet._ ~

"Yeah, one who - despite being straight - isn't actually bothered about the prospect of his girlfriend having sex with him the way she mentioned in her dream."

~ _Really?_ ~ she said, sitting up in surprise, ~ _'cause I know Velvet and Coco have something that could do the trick._ ~ There was a pregnant pause before he spoke again.

"We'll see." She threw her arms around him once again and kissed his cheek.

~ _You really are the best boyfriend on the planet. I love you Fox._ ~

"I love you too Neo." He kissed her forehead and lay down with her. She fell asleep in a few minutes, but he remained awake for a bit longer. _What the heck am I doing, suggesting that sort of thing? Isn't it going to be painful? Gods, why do I do these things?_

~ _One,_ ~ came the voice in his head. Fox slowly looked down to Neo, who was still asleep, but clearly not deep enough to block out everything coming in from Fox's mind, ~ _you do it because you love me. Two, if we do everything right, take it slow, let me do the action whilst you call the shots, it shouldn't be painful. And three, you're not alone anymore Fox, I can hear your thoughts._ ~ One eye creaked open to stare at Fox. ~ _We'll talk about at some point in the future - it's not like anyone can hear us. For now, sleep. Not only have I missed having someone beside me in bed at night, I've just missed sleep in general._ ~ With that, she shut her eye and rolled back to sleep.


	18. On a Path to Reclaim What Was Lost

Team CFVYN made one last stop at Beacon before they left for 'The Four Season Springs' the next morning. They had to leave early, but not stupidly early, so they could make one quick stop. After Neo knocked three times on the door, Quentin opened the door to be greeted by the Fourth Year Team.

"Oh, morning all." He let out a small yawn before continuing on, "and what do I owe this unexpected pleasure this morning?"

"We just wanted to let you know that we were heading off on our mission," Velvet mentioned with a slight bounce in her words.

"Uh huh..." His eyes darted between the five of them without a clue as to why they would be there. "Is... that all?"

"Did Lulu not mention where we're going?" the Faunus asked.

The only male of HLQN stood there for a second before leaning back into the room. "Lu?"

"Yeah?" The slight muffling and echoing of her voice told the five piece team that she was in the bathroom.

"Team CFVYN are here saying that you know something we don't."

"Huh?" A few seconds later, they all heard the inner door open and feet crossing over to them. Lulu popped her head around the door, her hair wrapped in an orange towel and her body covered by another, larger towel. "Oh, hey guys. Look, Velvet, I am still really sorry for what I did yesterday."

"Nonsense Lulu, if anything I should be the one apologising. I wasn't really mad at you, or Coco for that matter."

"What?!" Both girls in question raised their voices to near shouting, having both been on the receiving end of a Goodwitch detention for excessive noise made them fully aware that shouting outright would be a death sentence - the crop wielder always did like to increase the punishment for repeat offenders to hammer home the point. Sadly for her, that also highlighted the masochists in the school who deliberately kept repeating smaller rule violations just to get a Goodwitch detention.

Velvet just nonchalantly continued her talk with the younger fashion girl. "Sure, I was a bit annoyed at first, but I saw the joke. However, I honestly felt like I needed to be treated a bit, so I feigned the anger at you for the duration of yesterday, and that got me a nice free dinner." The innocent Rabbit turned to face her partner who, understandably, was looking a little betrayed. "I honestly meant no harm sweetheart." Coco turned to her team, who hadn't reacted to the news at all.

"Did you three know?"

"I was told when she dragged me off in the Infirmary," Yatsuhashi admitted.

{" _And we were told just before you all left for the dinner._ "} Coco turned back to Velvet, waited a few seconds to let everything that had just be said sink in, then kissed her Mate.

"You did good, you crafty little devil." The Rabbit shrugged, not wanting to revel too much in her own glory.

"Not to break your little conversation up, but why did you knock on our door this early?" asked Quentin, breaking up their little conversation.

"Oops," Velvet apologised, then offered their explanation, "well, Neo chose our first mission as Fourth Year students, and we're going to be clearing out Grimm nests and defeating an unknown Grimm at 'The Four Season Springs'." Quentin's eyes widened as the information registered with his slower morning brain. "We're doing for you guys, essentially on Neo's request. She told us about how you were, and kind of still are, after your time there and it hurt her a lot." Yatsuhashi stepped forward and placed a hand on the tri coloured girl's shoulder.

"And any friend of Neo's is a friend of ours. We wanted to help her help you."

"You mean that?" came the voice of Viola from behind the pair at the door. They parted slightly so that the older team could see her, currently still in bed with the covers drawn up to cover herself, Nylan still sleeping beside her.

"Of course we do Viola," Fox shot her a smile and continued, "Neo was really down when she didn't hear from or see you for all that time, to a pretty bad degree. If doing this will ease her mind as well as get some payback for you then we're going to be with her every step of the way."

"Oum, what did we do to deserve a friend like you, Neo?" The woman in question shot their team leader a quick wink. "Yeah, yeah, thanks for that too, I guess." With a quick glance over to her right to her sleeping girlfriend, Viola shifted her attention back to the five standing outside. "Now get out of here, you've got some Grimm to kill and some payback to cash." They all nodded and walked off back to their dorm to grab their stuff, wishing their goodbyes as the younger students wished them all good luck.

"Vy..." the Cheetah yawned groggily, turning over but not fully waking up, "who was that?"

"That was Team CFVYN. There off to do a mission to kill that thing that kicked our asses back at 'Four Seasons'."

"That's nice..." the said as she drifted back into sleep.

"Do you not want to wake her up? It _is_ a Friday and we do have a lecture with Professor Port first thing."

"Lulu, we've got a hectic week coming up for us. Nylan's going into heat on Tuesday and she will stay that way for the next 6-7 days. I think she deserves all the rest she can get. In all fairness, so do I - seeing as how you two won't help us."

"You know full well we're both not into girls," Quentin mentioned.

"Never know unless you try."

"I _have_ tried, that's how I know."

"And I don't want to try. Sorry," Lulu said, unravelling the towel on her head as she made her way back to the bathroom, "but you're on your own for this one Viola."

"Fine, it's your loss. But remember the rules we agreed on." The girl rolled her eyes as she shut the bathroom door, and Quentin headed out for breakfast, letting the other two girls go back to their slumber in peace.

* * *

Coco gave the instructions they had been given to the guys in the cockpit of the Bullhead as the rest of her team filed in. Each of them had packed a decent amount of clothing for the mission, considering they were going to be situated actually at the resort itself, so they didn't need to travel as light as they normally would have. Coco took this to the extreme, packing almost as if she was going on holiday which, to her, the team was. Yatsuhashi, naturally, took the other end of the spectrum, fitting everything he needed essentially into a single day sack; though to be fair his bags had to be bigger than everyone else's, otherwise they would look comically small on him, so saying he got his belongings for the mission to fit into one of his bags wasn't as big of an achievement as others may think. Once the five of them were in, the pilots took off and headed for their destination.

Much to the confusion of the students, the Bullhead came to a stop just on the outskirts of Vale near one of the roads out.

"Why are we stopping?" the leader asked the group before heading to the cockpit to ask the same question. "We haven't even left Vale yet."

"Fully aware of that, Miss. But your teammate back there gave us instructions to stop here first, said she had important business she needed to attend to first." Sunglasses were lowered off of brown eyes as they stared at Velvet and Neo, the only other two girls in the Bullhead. Velvet heard the conversation, so she shook her head. Neo didn't hear the conversation, but attempted to leave, so Coco naturally put 2 and 2 together.

"Neo!" she called over the engines. Nothing; the engines were roaring too loud. Fox noticed her, so she got him to get his girlfriend's attention, which he did. Coco now looked at Neo and signed to her for an explanation. {" _This better not be anything silly or meaningless._ "}

{" _It's not, trust me. But I do want Fox to come with me._ "} As the engines were turned off, lowering the noise back to a comfortable level, Coco spoke to Neo using words again.

"And why does he need to? If it's something that needs to be done, surely it'd be done quicker with just the one of you."

{" _No, it needs both of us really. I'm the one who knows about it though._ "} The fashionista looked her teammate up and down, trying to spot if she was lying. She couldn't see any indication of it, so ultimately, she relented.

"Fine. But if he comes back severely injured or dead, I'm killing you personally."

{" _He shouldn't, it will be fine._ "} The petite woman hopped out, parasol slung over her shoulder, and beckoned her boyfriend to follow. Naturally, he was initially hesitant.

"She says you need to go." Fox glanced back at Velvet, who obviously saw the conversation happening and read what Neo spoke. After that, Fox went with her. "I swear, it never gets easier with them."

"Count yourself lucky Velvs, at least you're not leading them." Fox and Neo made their way down the road slightly and towards a small hotel not too far from where they had landed.

"Look Neo, if you wanted to do anything else, we could have waited until we were at the resort or something. We didn't need to go to a hotel."

~ _As hilarious as it is to know that's where your mind first went to, meaning it's not just me whose mind lives in the gutter, that's not why we're here,_ ~ she pushed the glass door open and stepped inside, ~ _we've got a couple of people we need to have a discussion with._ ~ Once they were both inside the Notell Hotel, Neo started typing up what she was going to say as they made their way to the front desk.

"Mornin' you two. Unfortunately, we don't let new bookings in until 4:00pm, so I'm afraid you'll need to come back later." Neo simply held the Scroll up to the man.

**Are there two women currently staying here? One with dark skin and green hair, the other with tattoos and amber eyes? We just need to speak with them briefly, we won't be staying.**

"There may be... why do you need to know?"

"They're part of her old team," Fox jumped in before Neo could even think of an excuse, "she heard about what happened to them and she wanted to see them." Honestly, the old 'We were part of a team' can of worms didn't need reopening, but it was out there now, and Neo would have to live with it.

"Floor 2, Room 27. I'll give you 1 hour, then I'm fetching you down."

"Thank you, but I doubt we'll be needing that long." Fox started walking as Neo silently thanked him too. They climbed into the elevator and rode it to the second floor, then followed the corridors until they made it to Room 27. "Why are we here? This seems like a very odd and very specific place to look for them." Neo gave the door two knocks before answering his question.

~ _I stayed here a couple of nights ago before making my way to Beacon yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I saw them, but the situation I was in wouldn't have put me in the best of places with them or with Salem, so I left it. Now, I only have to deal with them, and that I'm pretty sure we can do. They seemed... very off. Very unlike themselves. If what Doctor Watts and Tyrian kept blabbing about back when I was with Salem is true, then at the very least I think we can provide some sort of support. I want to patch things up with them._ ~ On cue, there was a voice coming from the other side of the door.

"Who is it?"

Fox looked at Neo in confusion and mild panic. "W-" he cut himself off before much more could be said. ~ _What do I say to that?_ ~ Neo shrugged. ~ _Well, you're helpful..._ ~ "Just a couple of friends who know what you're going through, and want to help." There was a long pause after that and a faint clink of metal behind the door. Neo grabbed Fox's hand and took a step backwards away from the door, out of striking range. The worn wooden door creaked open, revealing a bit of the room inside and a woman standing in the doorway. Not giving them a chance to either be shut out or attacked, Neo teleported both her and Fox inside the room to the place she was just looking at, the unmistakable shatter of her illusion echoing through the corridors. Emerald spun round and saw the backs of the two people who were outside but had now appeared in their little room. Instinctively, she went over to protect Cinder from the assailants, even though the fiery woman was perfectly capable of protecting herself once she had recovered from the slight shock of two people appearing in front of her.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want with..." the thief's words got caught in her mouth as the new pair in the room turned around to reveal themselves. "...Neo?" Knowing that neither of them learned to speak anything past Basic Sign, the mute simple waved "Hello" at them before getting her Scroll out to speak with them.

" _You've got some nerve coming..._ " was all Cinder could strain before the coughs became long, heavy and painful sounding. Emerald rushed to grab her some water as Neo typed out a question to her ex-Boss.

**What happened to you?**

As the glass of water was being brought over, Cinder shook her head and pointed to Emerald. Neo's eyebrows raised as turned to her ex-colleague and directed the question to her.

"Salem..." was the only word she growled for the moment. Neo shuddered at the mention of her name; it had brought her nothing but pain and misery, and clearly it had done the same to these two as well. "We'd been trying to capture you for her for ages, but when Roman appeared out of the woodwork and took us out before one of our attempts, then caught you on his next, we were thrown out like trash. But not before she took... part of us." Emerald raised the eyepatch covering her eye, revealing a sickly, empty hole where her eyeball used to be. Neo gasped not only at the lack of eye from Emerald, but also at the realisation of what Salem's pendant thing was when she was there.

**That necklace that Salem was using is your eye, isn't it Em?**

"Don't use that name with me!" Naturally, she backed off at that, back into Fox's embrace. "If I recall, you hated being with us, and we despised you too; why are you here now, because we don't want your pity!" Cinder tried laying her hand on the girl's shoulder, but she shook it off immediately. "This entire ordeal is because of you. Cinder struggles to speak because we tried to get you, I've lost an eye because we tried to capture you, _Mercury_ is dead because Salem wanted you! And now here you are, standing in front of us while we struggle to survive because of what happened to-"

" _Emerald!_ " Cinder shouted before understandably sending herself into a coughing fit.

"Cinder," Emerald groaned, annoyed at the woman, but not to the point of not caring for her safety, "I told you to stop trying to speak, you'll hurt what little voice you have left if you continue." After a sip of water, she pointed at the established couple in the room, trying to get her point across. "I... ugh, we've gone over this Cinder, communicating is going to be hard from now on. We need to..." the mint haired girl was stopped when a Scroll was handed to Cinder. She turned to see Neo handing her Scroll over, temporarily, so that Cinder could have her say in the conversation. The tattooed woman nodded in appreciation, then gestured for them to speak.

"Emerald, we both know what you're going through." She scoffed at the idea, but all that earned her was a stern look from both Neo and Cinder, so she didn't do it again. "In some ways, both of us and neither of us had it better than the other. I'd never been able to properly see until I was already an adult, and Neo lost her voice completely as a child. You had one eye removed and Cinder's vocals are damaged near beyond repair without proper medical attention, but you won't get any of that; not because you don't want to, but because you know that the second you go anywhere you'll be recognised and locked up, so you look out for her by yourself. Yes, I was completely blind and you only partially blind, yes Cinder can somewhat speak, and Neo is completely mute, but you had yours forcefully taken away. It must have been horrible, but ultimately, we do both know what you're going through." Emerald looked at the floor and said nothing, tears falling from her one good eye, as Cinder typed something out on Neo's Scroll.

**I still don't understand why you want to come and speak to us. We made you feel unwanted and like a waste of space. Why would you come here?**

After a silence, Fox spoke again. "Neo said that it's because everyone deserves a second chance. She got hers, and is happier now than she ever had been. She said that you two deserve one too, and one where you know there are people who not only understand your pain first-hand, but can share the load of it too." Emerald was silent once again as Cinder typed.

**I appreciate your concern. Truly, I do. Emerald does to, but won't show it**

The jab at her gave the mint haired girl an excuse to playfully slap her friends arm, earning her not a look of anger, but one of playful teasing.

**However, as much as I am thankful for your concern Neo, I would rather you would stay out of our lives as best you can from this moment onwards. We brought this mess on ourselves and we wouldn't want to drag others down with us. We will fight on by ourselves.**

Neo hastily tried typing out a response on Fox's Scroll, but Cinder held her hand up and shook her head. Much calmer than Neo, she typed out her next words.

**If you want to help us, maybe throw a spare few Lien our way once a month or something, just to either keep us going or to work towards medical treatment to get ourselves new vocal chords and a glass eye or something, just so we don't feel too out of place.**

"Do you mean that?" Fox asked. Cinder simply nodded, then continued onto the next part of the message. Before it was shown to the students, the tattooed woman showed it to Emerald for approval. The nod clearly meant that whatever was on there, they both approved of.

**We may have had our differences in the past Neo, and by no means does this visit fix everything, or anything major really, but we would say that we can at least part here on level ground once again.**

The ice cream girl nodded, as if to say, "I can get behind that", walked over and stuck out a hand for Cinder to shake. The seductress stuck her hand out almost immediately, but paused halfway. But after some internal thought, she crossed the remaining distance and shook the woman's hand.

" _Doesn't... mean... we're friends..._ " she struggled, but she needed to say it. It felt more genuine if she said it, " _just... not enemies... anymore..._ " Neo smiled then, in a move that startled the previously calm and collected woman in front of her, hugged her tight, scaring a " _Ngh!_ " from her. Emerald went to pry them apart, but Fox caught her shoulder and held her back.

"Neo says that she is genuinely sorry for what Salem has done to you, and that she will do whatever it takes to make you better." He could have sworn he saw Cinder genuinely smile. "She also says she would like her Scroll back." After the hug broke, Cinder handed the device back to Neo who immediately started typing out something on the screen. As she did, Fox spoke to Emerald briefly. "So, was Mercury your...?"

"Friend. He didn't care for relationships and I didn't care for him. We bonded over what we were doing and the fact neither of us cared the other didn't care. It was weird, I'll give him that." She gave a quick sniff before continuing. "I could just talk at him for hours and he'd 'listen', he would do the same to me, it was odd, but it worked. He was the only one I could really do that with, until we ended up in this situation. Cinder's the only person I have now, so I will do my best to protect her."

"You're doing an honourable thing. Listen, I know you might not want to hear this, but Yatsuhashi truly is sorry for killing him. He..."

"That's enough" she snapped almost half-heartedly.

"I'm... sorry to open old wounds. Trust me, I know how much that hurts." The comment caught the dark skinned woman off guard and actually got a small laugh from her.

"It's fine. What I meant was I didn't need any more than his apology; no explanations, no reasons, just the apology. I forgive him, and I will move on." She turned her head and stared at his copper brown eyes with her solitary red one. "Tell him that I forgive him too."

"I shall do. Come on," he opened his arms for a hug, "to put the past behind us." With a shake of the head and a smile, she leaned in and gave him a hug.

"I see why you two make such a great couple - you have a lot of compassion to share."

"Thank you. Listen, if we're going to do what Cinder suggests with the whole 'Occasional Financial Support' thing, we're going to need to know where you are or the details for an account to transfer the money into or something."

"Right. Hey Neo," the mute turned around to look at the other two in the room, "do you still remember the address for that warehouse we did a lot of our heist plans in?" The mute nodded slowly, trying to recall if she did as she was responding. "Good, Cinder and I will make a new account for the pair of us and leave the details somewhere inside of it. That way, you can find it without raising too much suspicion. Sound like a plan?" She nodded, then smiled at Fox.

~ _We need to head off, the others will be waiting for us outside._ ~

"You're right. Well, we need to shoot; we're heading out on a mission and we made a stop here before we went, just because Neo saw you before and didn't know if you'd be here later."

"Seems only fair. Well then, bye you two." Fox and Neo left the two women and the Hotel and headed back to the Bullhead. Meanwhile, back in the room, Emerald and Cinder were still slightly taken aback by the unexpected visit and how it turned out. "Do you think they mean it, Cinder?" The raven haired woman gave a simple nod as an answer. Neo cared for them. Maybe it had to do with the fact she herself had been subject to Salem's torture, but that didn't stop the fact that she clearly wanted the pair of them to live their lives free from the ashen skinned witch's grasp and free from the pain she caused them both.


	19. Green Themed Greetings

The sun was hugging the mountain tops of the West as the aircraft landed at 'The Four Season Springs', the rays bathing the resort in a warm light that made it seem so relaxing and calm. But the looming threat of Grimm nest and the unknown Grimm of the 'Summer Spirit' Spring hurt that mood, at least for Velvet. Coco meanwhile was loving the holiday they were going on.

"Right guys, let's drop our stuff off at our room and then hit the spa, I've been _dying_ for some relaxation after that week on edge."

"Coco," Velvet cried in disgust, "we're here to help solve Grimm problems, not have a holiday. The holiday comes after _when_ we finish the mission _if_ we do it within a certain amount of time, not before."

"I'm just kidding, cottontail. Honestly, you think I'd do something as crazy as that when we've been given such an important mission?"

{" _Third Year, Mission 2,_ "} Neo signed.

"What about it?" she replied, playing the fool.

"You disappeared during the first night we went there, and we found you at the local bar the _following evening_ ," Yatsuhashi added, equal parts disappointed and infuriated - just as he must have been back then.

"You managed on your own, and I was told to take a much more backseat leadership role in that mission."

"Exactly, 'backseat leadership' Coco, not 'off at the bar getting drunk off my tits'."

"To be fair, I won some Lien for a drinking contest that no one thought I could win, and I wasn't that drunk."

"Okay, Coco," Fox started, clasping his hands together, "whenever someone starts any sort of conversation with 'I wasn't that drunk', everyone and their mother knows that the person in question was indeed _that_ drunk. And we were the sober ones, we should know. We had to carry your ass back to our camp all whilst you were shouting random nonsense."

"Pfft, I would never say anything like-"

{" _I remember distinctly you cursing that 'Rimmy Tim will never be a thing'._ "}

"Neo, you weren't there then, how could-"

"Yes she was Coco; Third Year." Coco shrank back slightly at the mistake she'd made as Fox continued where his girlfriend left off. "Two: 'These chickens are trying to chew on my penis'. The fuck is that supposed to mean Coco?"

"No idea," she replied,

"Three:" Velvet said, arms folded, "'No one likes the Party Mansion. No one!'"

"No one likes the what?"

"Our thoughts exactly! Face it Coco, you were drunk as fuck and we had just about had YNVF [Enough] of you!"

"Velvet, sweetie, do you really have to word it like that?"

"Yes," she deadpanned, "yes I did. We do the work, then we enjoy the spa. _If_ we finish the work on time."

"You're becoming more and more like me, I swear. And you've been waiting to use that one, haven't you?" The Rabbit Faunus smirked as she turned to walk to their accommodation for the duration of their stay.

"That's what Mate's Marks will do for you Coco. Now come along, we've got to get set up." She started walking, her belongings in tow, then turned to her girlfriend as she continued. "And yes, I have been wanting to use that one" she smirked again.

The rooms they were given weren't too shabby. This was easily the best accommodation they'd ever had when on a mission like this bar none. Each of their rooms had two spacious single beds (closer in size to a double bed), a large en suite bathroom, a small kitchenette, inside seating and, for their rooms at least, a small balcony that opened out onto a view of the mountains to the West past the luscious green forests of South-Eastern Vale. They had been given three rooms due to their team size being slightly larger than what they would normally accommodate in a Huntsman team. They politely declined the third room, stating that four of the five of them were in relationships with one of their teammates, so they would most likely be sharing a bed anyway, something the Ox Faunus at the front desk understood with a not so subtle roll of his eyes.

"Okay guys," Coco said once all of their stuff was piled into one room, "I say we lay down a few ground rules. One of these rooms is 'The Fun Room', so if any of us want to do anything whilst we're here, make sure you do it when you're in there. Speaking of, Yatsu, do you want this room by default?"

"I won't be needing the other one, so I will be happy with that."

"Great. So, the rest of us will sleep next door by default. That doesn't mean every night can be 'All hands on deck', if you catch my drift, it just means that if one of us wants to have some fun then they can ask the others if they wouldn't mind sleeping in here for the night. Sound good to everyone?" They all nodded in agreement. "Excellent. If we can also always be ready to go by 8:50am, then we can beat most people coming and going for the day and set off without worrying too many people. Naturally, our presence is going to raise some questions, but we don't have to answer them all, remember that. Especially you Neo, I know how much you like to blabber on about everything we do." Neo rolled her eyes and casually flipped Coco off, earning a fake gasp of surprise and horror from the fashionista and hearty laughs from everyone else.

"Well, I'm knackered - yesterday's still not quite got out of my system yet." Fox mentioned, stifling a yawn. "Plus, we want to start tomorrow morning, right?"

{" _According to the report, we need to speak with Maron Chive, Head Receptionist._ "} Neo signed to everyone, including Fox, who had learnt a lot of Sign since he'd grown accustomed to sight. Sadly, that meant that secret conversations between Neo and everyone else at Fox's expense had to be forfeited to include him. It also meant that Neo didn't have to simultaneously speak in her head and Sign at the same time whenever Fox was in the group, it wasn't as easy to do as people thought. {" _I assume we didn't run into her earlier else she would have said something to us, so unless she rocks up at some point this evening, we need to speak with her first tomorrow. Convene in here bright and early tomorrow?_ "}

"Sounds good to me hun," Fox said, grinning, before the grin turned into another yawn.

"I say we try and see if we can get some food to see us over until morning; nothing too big before bed though, isn't that right Yatsu?" Velvet smiled at her towering teammate, who smiled back.

"Of course."

"Suit yourselves," came Coco's response as she calmly grabbed her things and eased her way to the door, "but, if you don't mind me, I'm just... going to... goandgetthebestbedintheroomformeandVelvet, bye!" With that, the leader ran off to do as she set out to do.

 _Oh no you don't!_ Neo thought with a playfully evil grin, teleporting to the hallway just past the door, then down towards Coco, who had already gotten a decent head start despite the mass of luggage she was carrying.

"Hold on Ni!" Fox shouted to his girlfriend, starting to run and catch up to her to aid in their attempt to secure the comfier bed, but he was halted by someone grabbing hold of his legs and stopping his movements, throwing him to the floor. After a groan of pain from the impact, Velvet kissed him on the cheek and ran off to aid _her_ girlfriend in the battle for the bed.

"Sorry Fox, love you really," she rushed, zooming out of the door.

"You traitor Velvet, I thought we were friends."

"'All is fair in Love and War' Fox," his partner mentioned from behind him, "'All is fair'."

"Not now Yatsu! I have a battle to win." With that, he pushed himself up and followed everyone else to fight for the best bed in the room. Yatsuhashi just sighed, turning to sit on his bed for their stay. He sat down and bounced a couple of times, testing the springs. It was a really comfy bed, he guaranteed himself that they'd be struggling to find the comfier one amongst themselves in the ensuing chaos. But before he made himself too comfy on this bed he paused, then went over to the other bed and did the same thing as before. He sat on it and bounced a couple of times to test the springs. The giant man grinned to himself.

This one was much comfier, so this would be his.

* * *

Naturally, Yatsuhashi was the first one up today. He always was with these sorts of things. Every time he was set up in an unfamiliar bed, he always woke up early - no matter how amazing it was to sleep in. He never knew why, it just happened, and today was no different. He got up and made himself a drink - his usual; black coffee, one sugar - as he went to go watch the sun rise over the horizon from the communal seating area. He looked a little out of place, what with his baggy white t-shirt and olive green shorts compared to everyone else who was here's white gowns, but they physically did not stock anything meant to accommodate a 7ft tall tank of a man, who just so happened to be a Huntsman-in-Training. He made do with what he had.

Taking his usual position of 'at the back, out of everyone's line of sight', the swordsman gazed out towards the East, hoping to catch the first rays of light of the new day. Almost as a reflex, he sat down and started meditating, opting to do it today with his eyes open. It introduced an element of risk, giving you more chances to be distracted and having your concentration broken. Yatsuhashi loved challenges. He sat on the chair for a good 20 minutes, enjoying the serenity of the moment when someone sat down next to him. He thought it would be one of his teammates, but instead he spotted someone else, someone he'd honestly never seen before.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" Yatsuhashi quietly hummed to himself in agreement. The woman next to him looked fairly young, not much older than himself, with a head of pear green hair in a bob. Her eyes, even in the pre-sun light, almost shone with a neon green light in the darkness, though the natural green of her eyes won over whenever the artificial light did hit her face. It was sparse, as the staff obviously knew why people were here at this ungodly hour. "I always come here in the mornings to watch the sun rise. At this time of year, the skyline almost glows in an eerie light that honestly fascinates me." Yatsuhashi found himself smiling. The way the woman spoke with such enthusiasm about something so simple as the sunrise, it reminded him of how Ruby acted a lot of the time he saw her getting excited about something she was really into.

"So, do you come here often then?" he asked with genuine curiosity, "you seem to know a lot about the sunrise I only assume that was the case."

"You'd be correct!" she giggled infectiously. The tank found himself letting out a small laugh himself.

 _Very much like Ruby,_ he thought.

"My family came here back when it was a smaller and more intimate business than it is now, back when I was a stroppy and ungrateful teenager. They stopped after the third time, but I've been coming ever since..." He caught sadness in her voice when she said that, almost like she missed the days when she was younger. "I miss them..."

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"No, it's fine. There's no point on dwelling - I find that the moments leading up to dawn are the best times for confessions; when the sun rises above the horizon, the new day has started and all things you said before are burnt away in the morning light."

"That is a very unique but interesting way of looking at it."

"Aww, thank you!" Even her smile was infectious, as he found himself grinning back at her. "But yeah, they're not dead. It's just... they seemed off after they came back..." his smile dropped as hers did, the story sounding eerily familiar.

"Came back from where?"

"One of the Springs along here." It had to be this mysterious Grimm they were after, it lined up all too well for it _not_ to be. "They went there without me - because you know, 'Stroppy Teenager Syndrome' hit hard that morning." Even with a situation like this, she was still cracking small jokes. Yatsuhashi was fascinated. "But when they came back they weren't the same as they were when they left. They were... I'm not sure how to-"

"They were slower, looked rather pale, didn't quite seem right for a while."

"Yeah..." the pear haired woman said, confused look on her face, "exactly that. How would you know that?"

"Because we've had a case of that too." Her green eyes lit up, and this time they honestly looked like they started to glow.

"Really?! Oh, that's wonderful! I mean... it's not, but it's good to know that it isn't an isolated incident." She slumped back in the chair. "Ah, and I thought it was just me." She sat back up again quickly after, shocking the gentle giant. "Wait, 'we'? Who's 'we'?"

"Beacon Academy. I'm a Huntsman-in-Training and one of our teams - friends of mine a couple of years below me - came here for a week, but something happened to them and they returned to the Academy late with the exact symptoms I described to you."

"You're a Huntsman? Oh, that is so cool!" She clearly didn't care much at the moment for the parallels between her parents and Team HLQN (not that she'd have known that was their name anyway), she was more caught up in the fact he was a Trainee Huntsman. This woman's voice was... y'know, in the moments he spent just listening to her speak and looking at her, it never crossed his mind to ask for her name. It only seemed polite.

"My name is Yatsuhashi."

"Pleased to meet you. Honoured, even. I'm Jade. Jade Celadon." She stuck her arm out to shake hands.

"It's very nice to meet you Jade," he replied, closing the gap and shaking her hand firmly.

"Dear Dust, your hands are huge compared to mine!"

"I get that a lot," he mentioned with a shrug.

"So, how far along training are you?"

"I am currently in my final year. This is our first mission as a full team that are more in line with what work we'll be doing outside the Academy in just over a year's time."

"Final year, eh? So, what does that make you, 20? 21?"

"I'm 20, yes." They sat in silence for a handful of seconds, clearly one of them wanting to continue the conversation but the other not getting the hint. In the end, they gave up waiting.

"You're meant to ask me back about my age."

"I didn't want to pry," he admitted, "it didn't feel right."

"Nonsense Yatsuhashi, it's fine. So, are you going to ask me?" He could help but smile again, she was so bright and cheerful and honestly, he felt content sitting here speaking to Jade for a while, she had that air to her.

"I shall. And, Yatsu is fine."

"Yatsu..." she let the word sink in a bit, "I like it."

"So, Jade. How old are you?"

"Don't you know it's rude to ask a woman's age?!" she snapped back harshly, but not with a raised voice. He was unsure of what to do at this point, so he stared. Her expression changed instantly, and she began laughing. "I'm just messing with you Yatsu. I recently turned 23."

"Right. And you're not a Huntress, are you? I assume not, taking your reaction to me telling you into consideration."

"Oh, no. No, I'm an average woman, working an average job."

"I will tell you now that you most certainly are not an average woman, Jade." Even in the dim, not-yet-morning light, Yatsuhashi was pretty sure he saw her start to blush. At that sight, he felt his cheeks warm too. _Am I flirting with her? Dear Oum, I think I am. That's not right._

"Yatsuhashi, are you flirting with me?" she asked, resting a hand on her heart and putting on an over the top shocked face. "We've just met."

 _Well, she seems to think so too._ "I must be truthful with you, it is not my intention to be. May I ask, have you ever had any training with regards to Aura?"

"No, I haven't," she answered, looking away from him slightly, almost in shame, "I know I have one, if that's what your next point was going to be - everyone does - but I don't want it unlocked. My parents told me I shouldn't, because when I do then 'I must become a Huntress', even if I don't want to." Following his instincts, he reached across the gap again and placed his hand atop hers for comfort.

"There is no such rule stating that. You can have your Aura unlocked properly and use it to help in your day to day life, but there are no explicit rules stating that you must become a Huntress once you have. You are already too old to start learning how to, by now your body would have missed the peak opportunity to train and it would have started physically weakening and letting your Aura become more settled. To try and coax it into doing strenuous training wouldn't do it or you any good. I'm sorry if you wanted to explore that route."

"No, it's fine, honestly. The idea of pursuing that career never really thrilled me anyway, but the thought of seeing them was fascinating." Yatsuhashi moved his hand away at an opportune moment, feeling that he hand comforted enough. But as they sat there for a few moments in their silence, a thought crept into his mind.

"Jade?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like me to unlock your Aura for you? I sense there's some-"

"Yes!" she beamed, jumping from her chair and grabbing his closest hand with both of hers.

"R-really?"

"I have wanted this for a long time," she confirmed, "like, a _really_ long time. I know my parents had said no, but if I now know there's no obligation to become a Huntress, then I would like to have my Aura unlocked."

"Okay then. I think you have a semblance that is quite unique in some ways, but I will need your Aura unlocked so that it is easier for me to read." She grinned excitedly.

"Awesome! Where'd you want me?"

"There will be fine. We will need to stand up." She did so and he followed, and in that moment they both realised how silly this looked - a 7ft tall man trying his best to unlock the Aura of a 5' 5" woman. But, he persisted. "I merely need to hold my hand over your forehead and heart, so this is not me advancing on you in any way." The green themed woman chuckled at the thought.

"It's fine, I know what you're doing. Though I must admit, I wouldn't have minded if you'd just started touching anyway." The gentle giant felt his face heating up something fierce at the comment, his blush probably shining brighter than their Auras were about to. Jade clearly found that hilarious, as she started laughing at the sight. "You can't unlock Aura, can you?" she joked, "you were just using this as an excuse to touch me up. I must admit, this is a first, so I'll entertain it."

"Jade, I need to focus. As do you, unless you want your body to explode from your Aura being unlocked and the vessel not being ready to contain it." She promptly quietened down. He didn't like lying, but sometimes it was the only way. After a couple of attempts to focus his mind, he found the right place and began speaking once more.

" _For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee._ " During the incantation, Yatsuhashi's body glowed in the olive green light of his Aura and, when starting to unlock, Jade's body glowed in a colour closely resembling her namesake. Afterwards, he stood back to collect himself; unlocking someone else's Aura like that takes a fair amount from you. Jade saw her glow and couldn't stop smiling.

"This feels so amazing..." she whispered to herself, awestruck with the new sensation.

"Your Aura can act like a shield, it can speed up healing when used properly, and it acts like a back-up energy storage. If you feel low on energy, you can dive into your Aura reserve if you haven't already."

"Awesome..." she uttered as her glow faded, her smile fading as it did. "Aww..."

"It hasn't gone, don't worry. To have your Aura ever glowing around you all the time would be an annoyance - especially on stealth missions - but also it drains it much faster than any other method known, save energy draining semblances. Speaking of, your-" A single finger rested on his mouth, halting his speech dead in its tracks.

"Shh shh! Look, sunrise!" At her direction, the boy looked out of the East facing window of the resort and watched the sun rising over the horizon. True to her word, the moment it broke the horizon, the lower portion of the sky was swamped in an almost ethereal purple light, flickering like fire before dissolving into space. He had never seen anything like it before, and doubted that - unless he came back here again in the future - he ever will see it again. In his trance, he almost didn't register the soft, warm kiss placed on his cheek. In an instant, he came back to reality to see what that was, only to spot a shy looking Jade beside him at his eye level, a place she definitely wasn't a minute ago. The reason for that, as he discovered when he stole a glance down, was that she was now standing on the chair. The sight honestly brought a smile to his face, something that clearly eased her mind as well. "Sorry..."

"For what?"

"Well... um..." her blush grew quite significantly on his question, "I... I consider the Purple Sunrise, as I've dubbed it, my lucky charm. Every time I come here, I make a wish; kind of like Birthday candles. This year, as you were here, I thought I'd try something different because I... kind of... like you?" Somehow, she found herself question her own confession, wondering if what she was saying was right.

"I have to say, I am no first-hand expert on this. I share a room with two couples, both of whom have been dating for over a year, but other than that. I believe myself to be aromantic, but that does not mean I am opposed to a relationship, if that is what you were looking for."

"Sort of..." she said, scratching the back of her head, "I mean, I've never had a real relationship before and I thought I'd give it a shot with you, considering you're one of the first people to hold a decent conversation with me for a long time."

"Really? That is such a shame, they don't know what they're missing."

"You _are_ trying to flirt with me!" With a playful smack on his chest that did literally nothing to make him flinch, she started grinning again. "Wait, you were going to say something before sunrise, weren't you? Sorry, I cut you off."

"Hmm? Oh, your semblance. See, judging based on you, I'd assume that it is a passive one - something that's rather rare amongst people and Faunus, but more common than most people would believe. I think your semblance amplifies your own emotional energy to the point where that energy created is projected outwards from yourself, even if you don't feel massively different. It's why I personally feel happier sitting and standing with you." Her face lit up with glee and her eyes started glowing, for real this time rather than a trick of the light, with a soft neon green light, and Yatsuhashi felt a wave of happiness wash over him as she smiled. "See?"

Unsure of what he was on about, the woman searched round the surrounding area behind her, but stopped when she heard him start to chuckle. "See what? And why are you laughing?"

"I meant with your Aura and semblance. I felt happier when you were happy. It must be your semblance." She returned to grinning, grabbing his chest and giving it a tight squeeze in delight.

"Thank you! I haven't been this happy in a long time."

"You are most welcome," he replied, "although I do feel the need to say something now before it's too late." Her smile dropped slightly as he continued. "Not only would your positive emotions like happiness and love be amplified and projected outwards, but your negative ones as well - you would essentially be a beacon to any nearby Grimm on a bad day. I can understand your parents' unwillingness to have your Aura unlocked what with your 'Stroppy Teenager Syndrome', but similarly if you knew how to control it then it wouldn't be a problem." Her grin came back to her, along with an idea.

"Teach me."

"Pardon?"

She rolled her eyes and expanded upon her offer. "I would like you to teach me how to control my emotions, make it easier for me to not be a walking Grimm magnet." Pausing briefly to consider the preposition, wondering if it would be a god idea and a practical use of his time. "Plus, it means I can spend more time with you," she added, almost not wanting to add that last comment on there, "if you want to, that is. I know you've probably got Huntsman duties to fulfil and so I don't-"

"Okay."

"Pardon?"

He rolled his eyes and expanded upon his answer. "I will help you control your emotions and your Aura. We can hone your command over your newly acquired skills so that you can better yourself in life. And so that we can spend more time together, because I would really like that." With a smile from the pair of them, Jade reached into her robe pocket and got out her Scroll, unlocked it and handed it to the tank, who proceeded to input his Scroll number on the silent command.

"Well Yatsuhashi, I look forward to seeing you again soon."

"And I you, Jade." In a move he wasn't expecting, she jumped on him and caught him in a hug, hanging from his shoulders. He returned the hug, walked away from the chair she jumped off of and put her down once the hug had passed. With a smile she left, returning to her room most likely.

"I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time" came a new, unfamiliar voice from behind him. As he turned, the woman approached him and continued, "you really are special Mr. Huntsman. I have grown to know Jade very well over the years, she is a sweet girl and someone like you could change her life for the better." This woman looked fairly plain in comparison to Jade's green theme, with one noteworthy exception - her coffee brown hair was in a neat bun, her skin was lightly tanned, she was dressed in charcoal formalwear - jacket and knee length pencil skirt - with a white shirt, matt nude coloured tights and black pumps, yet despite all of this simplicity her eyes were a striking byzantine purple.

"Forgive me, but who may you be?"

"I'm Maron Chive, Head Receptionist. I'm your contact for the duration of your stay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter long before "After the Fall" came out, and look at that - a character who had no real experience with their semblance meets someone from Team CFVY and, lo and behold, their semblance can amplify people's feelings. 
> 
> I promise, I do not work for Rooster Teeth. I had no prior knowledge of this. I just got really lucky.


	20. Plans for The Summer

After his encounter with Jade and his unexpected meeting with Maron, Yatsuhashi grabbed some food the moment the kitchen was opened and headed back to their room to wake the rest of the team up and get them to go eat. When he entered the room at around about 6:00am, he was surprised, but not too shocked - he'd seen far more of most of his teammates than he'd _ever_ want to see of anyone else in his life - to see an arrangement most peculiar.

During their fight for the comfiest bed in the room, allegiances must have changed (for better or worse, depending on which side of the fight you were on), as it appeared Coco and Neo teamed up, fought off (and won against, Yatsuhashi assumed) their respective romantic partners. So here they were now, Neo and Coco sleeping together in one bed, with Neo surprisingly being the big spoon, and Fox was with Velvet in the other bed, albeit with their backs to one another. Three years ago, Fox would have done anything to get in the position - what with the crush he had on her - but now here they were in the same bed and yet he wasn't trying anything with her. Whilst the irony was not lost on Yatsuhashi, he admired his brother-in-arms' loyalty to his own girlfriend, and the fact that ever since that failed crush, the friendship of those two grew stronger out of it, so technically it was a Win-Win.

Yatsuhashi walked over to Velvet's side of the bed and shook her gently to wake her, knowing she was the one who would be least likely to get annoyed at him for waking them up. "Morning Velvet. We need to get moving." Her rabbit ears had come to a natural resting over her face, so on hearing him speak they moved reluctantly so she could see him.

"Morning..." she creaked like an old oak tree as she rose up to stretch, her sleeping t-shirt riding up slightly. The giant averted his eyes, only to feel his teammate slumping against his chest trying to fall asleep again. To stop this, he simply took a step back, causing her to fall towards the floor, had he not have caught her. "Nooo... why must you betray me?" The Rabbit's ears, now fully expressive, drooped backwards in sadness at her new pillow suddenly moving.

"Because we do need to move. I spoke to Maron this morning, she wants to meet us all in the main reception at 7:45."

"Oh alright," she sighed, fully willing to move but not wanting to sound overenthusiastic this early in the morning.

"Plus, you're the only one out of us who can safely wake Coco up without her killing and prying her from Neo's spoon, the latter of which I will happily help you with." The mage glanced over inquisitively at the other bed to see her girlfriend and the girlfriend of the boy she was in bed with... the boy she was sleeping with... damn, there wasn't really any way she could say this without it sounding like she was cheating... to see her girlfriend and Fox's girlfriend (there we go) spooning one another.

"Be honest with me Yatsu," she started as she slipped herself out of bed and walked towards the gown on her wardrobe door, "were you surprised when you saw that this morning?"

"Only to see that Neo was the big spoon."

"Yeah..." Velvet shuddered as she wrapped the pearly white robe around her body, she felt cool and relaxed just by putting it on. "Dear Oum, this thing is Heavenly to wear."

"It is a shame they didn't have any in my size," he sighed, "I'd look silly walking round in one otherwise."

"Maybe you should have stopped growing!" she teased sticking her tongue out at him. "But yeah, I'm not too surprised at seeing that, but when you put the two Tops in their respective relationships into a bed together and they start spooning, one of them has to be the little spoon by default."

"That is true," he replied with a nod.

"Though I think it's more to do with the fact that Coco is just a big softy at heart."

"I heard that..." the woman in question uttered as she shifted slightly to wake her body from slumber. She glanced backwards at the older but smaller woman behind her, smiling slightly at Neo's eyes fluttering open. "Morning Neo." The ice cream girl grinned and leaned forward for a simple 'Good Morning' peck on the lips, one that the team leader also leaned into.

"I don't know whether to be fuming or aroused right now about seeing my girlfriend kissing another woman in bed."

"Go with 'aroused' please," the fashionista shot back blindingly fast, clearly excited about this topic of conversation coming up, a giant grin on her face the entire time she spoke. "it'll make some nights in here all the more interesting. Oh, the fun the three of us could have."

"I'm still here guys," came from Fox's side of the second bed, clearly having been awake for the entire time, "don't I get a say in that sort of thing?"

~ _Not really hun,_ ~ was all Neo thought. She sat up and unwrapped her arms from her sleeping partner's waist, then started signing so that everyone else could understand their conversation. {" _I mean, maybe in the future, but I think we'd all want a 'Girl's Night In', if that's alright? Also, morning all._ "}

"Neo, you know we've had this conversation, just as we know Coco and Velvet have had this conversation," with one member of each of the relationships being openly Pansexual - Neo for one, Coco for the other - both of them and their partners' collectively agreed after a discussion that they would be in Semi-Open Relationships. To the four of them, it meant that so long as Fox or Velvet okayed it with Neo or Coco respectively, they were fine with them having a little bit of time with someone else, only okaying certain people for anything more. The other pair were obviously at the top of the other list, with Yatsuhashi coming in second should he ever feel the pull of sexual attraction later on in his life. The offer of exploring other partner's extended to the two shyer and not-Pan teammates, but it was most likely not going to be chipped in, something they were all content with, "I am fine with it. Just... don't make it a regular thing, if that's alright?"

{" _Of course not Fox, wouldn't dream of it._ "}

~ _You kind of_ _ **do**_ _dream about it, though._ ~

~ _Don't rat me out!_ ~

"We both know you two aren't massively comfortable with it all," Coco continued, not privy to the little aside the other couple had in their heads, "hence why we went with a Semi-Open Relationships. And we always come to you first, we don't want to worry you both for thinking we're cheating on you."

{" _And we do it because we both love you._ "} There was a pause in the room as the words sunk in.

"Neo..." Velvet began almost hesitantly, "when you say 'we both love you', do you mean 'both of you are in love with both of us' or 'you each love your partner'?"

Neo simply nodded a "Yes".

"That's not an answer Ni."

{" _Yes it is Fox. We both love you both._ "}

"O... kay then," he replied, no closer to really solving this in his head than when he started, "glad that's... sorted out?"

"Why're you acting so shocked you two?" queried Coco, genuinely in confusion over their reactions, "we've told you enough times that we both find all of you extremely attractive and love you all - with more love going towards our own partners', no questions about that - yet you're sat there like it's new news."

"It's the morning," Fox replied with haste, shooting up to standing as he said so, "we're not awake enough to realise what you said. I'm heading to the breakfast bar."

The gentle giant smiled at his teammate for moving the conversation to a close, "that is an excellent idea Fox. Our contact wishes to speak with us in the main reception at 7:45."

"Well then," the fashionista called out, clapping her hands together, "let's not keep her waiting."

* * *

After all heading down for breakfast together, with Yatsuhashi not eating having already done so, Team CFVYN arrived in the main reception at 7:38am with the plan of waiting for Maron Chive to be there in 7 minutes to meet them. But to everyone's surprise (sans Yatsuhashi, who knew she'd most likely be here because of his earlier encounter with her), they saw her standing there waiting for them.

"Good morning all, nice to see you. Thank you Yatsuhashi for passing on the information to your team; I was actually on the way to have a wakeup call sent to your rooms with the information when I ran into you and Jade this morning; saved us both a fair amount of trouble." Coco's eyebrow raised at that statement, but she kept her thoughts to herself... for now.

"It was no problem, honestly."

"My name, as you can guess, is Maron Chive. I have been in contact with Professor Ozpin ever since that team of his came here and got attacked, so we know each other fairly well from that. I must say, he speaks very highly of the five of you, especially considering your team size."

Fox spoke up. "It all happened so fast, it was a surprise to even us, but we're all happier for it - despite ups and downs."

"Yes, Ozpin mentioned something happened earlier this week that delayed your coming here. I shan't delve any deeper, it is not my place to know that information, but I am glad you are here now nonetheless." With a wave of her hand, she ushered the quintet of students to follow her, a gesture they all followed. "The owner of 'The Four Season Springs' Resort would have been here to greet you herself, but she has recently been taken ill from the very same thing we wanted you to eliminate." The team hadn't heard much of the owner of the resort, save from what they were just told; judging from that she must be quite the hermit. "We'll discuss it more out of earshot of everyone else," the older woman whispered, "I don't want to induce a panic; especially with those Grimm nests so nearby." They all nodded and followed in silence.

Walking past one of the areas, a large salt pool where everyone simply floated and relaxed, Yatsuhashi's gaze drifted to the water. In it (well, technically on it), he spotted the tell-tale pear green hair of Jade. She glanced up and noticed him too. Her infectious smile suddenly appeared the second his brown eyes came into contact with her neon green, and as she waved to him; he smiled and waved back before she lay her head down once more to keep herself afloat.

"Who was that Yatsu?" Coco asked quiet enough so that only the two of them could hear, "was that this 'Jade' girl Maron spoke of earlier?" He opted not to speak - which was a good idea, bass voices carry very far, even when they're whispering - and instead nodded. Coco glanced back at her quickly before continuing to walk besides the swordsman. "You gonna ask her out?" His answer to that was giving his leader a glare. "What? She's a very attractive woman."

"Let me deal with this on my own please Coco," he replied in a voice just above a whisper, "yes I agree, but I want to do things my way. It's different for me than it is for you."

"Fair enough; I won't stand in your way if you want to do something." The corners of his mouth curled up in appreciation as they exited that large room and made their way down a much more business-like corridor. It was a far cry from the area they were just in, heck even their rooms and the corridors between them looked different. This was a plain carpeted corridor with four different plain doors; the first door on the left, the second a bit further down on the right, a third door on the left and then the final one on the far wall. Maron led Team CFVYN through the second door on the left into a small sized business room. It wasn't the sort of thing they'd expected in a resort like this, but then again if there are business clients that wanted to hold meetings whilst having some R&R, it made some sense.

"Sorry for all the secrecy," Maron mentioned as she shut the door behind the last of them, ushering them to one of the seven seats around the table, "but the owner mentioned to me that she really didn't want to raise any unnecessary panic amongst the guests."

"No offence Maron," responded Coco, not wishing to be the bearer of bad news, but being the leader of Team CFVYN, it came with the job description, "but I'm sure they could figure that something was, at the very least, off."

With a sigh, the receptionist nodded in agreement, "yes, having to close access to the 'Summer Spirit' Spring certainly has seen a steady decline in customers, and equally a drop has been noticed in the morale amongst not only staff, but those who come here on their breaks; that Spring is by far one of the most popular spots in this Resort, especially considering it's one of the very few places anyone ever sees the owner nowadays."

"Neo and I both have been meaning to ask about her," Fox mentioned, "you keep mentioning the owner by her title, but never by her name."

"That is because it is not something she wishes to share." The students looked among themselves in confusion at the slight oddity of the scenario presented to them. "I know, it is a bit confusing at first, even I questioned it initially, but she promised me that there was a perfectly good reason for her secrecy. When I spoke with her, yesterday being the most recent about you and your role here, she agreed that you can call her what most who are allowed to do, and that is Mrs S."

"'Mrs S'? Wow, seems..." Coco was trying to find the best way of wording her reply without it sounding too harsh or mean – this _was_ technically their first employer as Huntsmen-in-Training, "...pretty set on keeping her identity hidden asking us to call her that."

"I agree, but consider yourselves lucky for even getting to this level of acquaintance with her. She mentioned to me yesterday that she knows Ozpin from before now and as such was happy to let you all refer to her as I do. She trusted him to send not only a competent team, but a strong and trustworthy one as well."

"It is nice to know our headmaster appreciates us," Yatsuhashi commented to his four friends before focussing back on Maron. "Now, the reason you brought us all here."

"Yes, of course." Maron pulled out a Scroll Tablet and placed in on the table in front of them all, pulling up what appeared to be a giant map of the Resort and the surrounding area.

"Is this our mission zone?" the Rabbit asked with an air of worry in the words, especially seeing the size of it compared to the small dot near the middle that she determined was them.

As Coco hugged her girlfriend closer, sending waves of positive emotions through their Marks, Maron spoke again to clarify. "No my dear, it isn't. And I am so sorry, but I have not asked for all your names. I know your name Yatsuhashi, you are?"

"My name is Fox, and this here is Neo." On cue, the mute waved. "She's mute, so unless you know any Sign, her thoughts will most likely be communicated via me – though in the interests of time, I won't explain how that's possible."

"That is fair enough Fox, I understand. I do know some very basic Sign, but not enough to communicate with someone as proficient as you all must be."

"My name is Velvet." Maron nodded and smiled at her.

"And I'm Coco Adel, Team Leader."

"Thank you all. Now, to answer your question again Velvet, this isn't your mission zone – it's just a general map of the surrounding area," with a quick movement, she zoomed in on the map to a much smaller area, "this will be. It covers everywhere about 2.5km outside of the Resort grounds. In this area alone, we counted no less than 5 Grimm nests, all of which are marked on here. And don't worry, we'll sync up your Scrolls to this once we've finished the brief, so you can do all your planning on here."

"Thank you," Fox sighed in relief, "you have no idea how hard is used to be trying to get everyone's plans to line up perfectly with one another's."

"Hey, I tried to do the best with what I had Fox! Cut me some slack."

"Oh alright, fine. But only because I know you could kick my ass if you tried."

"Flattery will get you everywhere with me Fox."

"Eve-"

~ _Don't you_ _dare even **start** that thought,_~ Neo shot at him before he had a real chance to speak. His mouth clamped shut instantly. ~ _Or at least wait until I've finished having that thought first._ ~

~ _You're the worst, did you know that?_ ~ All Neo responded with was a sly smile and a swap of her eye colours. She knew, and she relished it.

"On top of the nests," the purple eyed receptionist continued, "there is a mysterious Grimm in the aforementioned 'Summer Spirit' Spring. That needs not only eliminating, but also the victims of its attacks that haven't been discovered need to be relocated. Most have been, but there are a few who have not." The team nodded, surveying the land and coming up with their own individual mini-plans that they would all pool together to create the final plan, now that they had their information. "As you are all probably aware, you each get a Pass for the Resort so you can let yourselves in an out of anywhere you need whenever you need – even after hours. I, and Mrs S, wish for you to not abuse this privilege, but to use it wisely. Someone will provide you with them once you head back to the main reception." A couple of them nodded whilst the remaining three continued going through their own mini-plan.

"Right guys, what's your ideas?" Coco started by pointing to Yatsuhashi, being one of the two to finish his mini-plan.

"So, there are five known nests scattered around the area, with at least one of them being an especially large nest. All five of these nests are situated well within the 2.5km area around the resort, so from here it would take no more than 45 minutes of solid walking to get to any of them. We can very easily do an entire sweep of them in a day, perhaps even taking the smaller nests whilst we are at it. That gives us enough time between our sweep today – if we do it today – and tomorrow morning to come up with a plan of attack for the larger nests. As for the 'Summer Spirit' Spring Grimm, depending on where the Spring is influences what I suggest."

"Okay, thanks. Velvs, what do you think?"

"Honestly, my plan was near enough identical; although I would have tried to eliminate all the nests as we came across them and only the ones who weren't exhausted after a few could scout ahead for the other ones, then we return tomorrow and finish off the job." The Faunus fidgeted ever so slightly before she finished speaking. "To be truthful, I prefer Yatsuhashi's method better than my own."

"Velvet, sweetie, it's fine. These are just ideas. Once we have enough, then we focus them onto a full plan. Until then, they're all up in the air. And before you say anything about the idea being silly, yours was nearly identical to Yatsuhashi's, so it can't be that bad if multiple people are thinking along the same lines." Her attention shifted to the other male in the room. "What was your idea Fox?"

"The exact opposite of Yatsu's and Velvet's," he admitted with a slight chuckle, "in basically every way. I believed that we ought to go after the Springs Grimm first, as it is an unknown and could take up a lot of our time, then nearer the end spent the winddown period from there to take out the nests. It was a bad idea, I know, and you all know I don't have the best creative mind on Remnant, so plans are hard for me."

"Fox," Yatsuhashi said softly, resting a hand on his brother-in-arms' shoulder, "we do not fret over the fact, so you should not either."

"Yatsu's right Fox," added the mage, her rabbit ears perking up slightly, "you and I have come a long way from the people we were when we walked off that jet on the first day. The fact you always try to come up with a plan is a testament to how well Coco's been doing at leading us all." Coco smiled at her girlfriend, a faint blush gracing her cheeks.

"Flattery will get you everywhere with me Velvs." Unlike when she said it two minutes prior with Fox, where that was more of a serious joke, this time it was said with affection and emotion. It was the best she could do, she didn't think Maron would be best pleased to see her and Velvet making out furiously on the floor in the middle of a meeting.

"Coco, Neo said she had something a bit different, if you'd like to hear it."

"Sure thing," all attention was now on the oldest yet shortest member of Team CFVYN, "fire away Neo."

{" _First thing though, where's 'Summer Spirit'?_ "} Coco asked Maron on her behalf and the receptionist highlighted it on the virtual map for them. Neo gave the map another once over before giving her views. {" _So, if we head to this nest together and take it out, then from there split into two groups; one going for these two nests and the others taking out these two, then from there we reconvene at the 'Summer Spirit' Spring and go from there. Divide and Conquer._ "}

"My idea was very similar Neo," the giant mentioned, "I was going to suggest we started on the far side and sweep back to the Spring as well, but I was thinking we'd do it in a single group."

"Both are good ideas, and I think we have our plan, if everyone's in agreement?"

As hands raised, Maron stood back and watched the whole thing work itself to completion. Ozpin said that these five were good, but she wanted and needed to see it with her own eyes to believe it. The man was not overplaying them one bit, these students of his were phenomenal! The fact they managed to find a method of planning that incorporated everyone in equal measures, even with some of them being seemingly apprehensive of giving ideas now – probably more so initially – and doing so this quickly with _five_ team members rather than four was beyond amazing to her. This team was everything the job needed them to be, Ozpin and his team did a marvellous job at that.

"...Chive? Miss Chive? Maron?" The woman snapped out of her own daydream to the sight of the five adults all staring at her.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"We wanted to know when you'd like us to start, we've finished planning and we're ready to go."

"Really?" _Wow, these guys really are the best. Juliette would love to see these five._ "Of course, straight away if you can." They didn't even wait before nodding and heading off back to their rooms to get themselves sorted for the day ahead of them.

"Thank you Maron. We'll get the plan written up in full as fast as we can then give it to you to message off to Ozpin if you need to. Was there anything else you needed from us?" The woman was honestly lost for words at how efficient these Trainees were, it was as if they'd been on the field for years at the top of their game, and these five were still learning. The Huntresses and Huntsmen they'd become would be legendary.

"No, nothing from me. Was there anything you five wanted to know before you headed off?" The students looked at each other and, seeing that no one had anything they wanted to know, Coco turned back.

"Nothing we can think of right now, no."

"I do have one quick question actually," Velvet chimed in before they were dismissed completely, "it's not mission related, but it's to do with the Resort."

"Okay. Velvet was it?" The Rabbit nodded. "Ask away."

"The robes you have here are, quite frankly, amazing. How on Remnant did you make those?" The first response to the question was a hearty laugh from the byzantine eyed woman, but once that had passed she moved onto her second, more appropriate response.

"Ah, well that is a trade secret. Mrs S. was the one who made all of them, weaving her magic into the cloth to make them as they are. The best way I can describe it is this; they're like Dust Woven items of clothing, but rather than being a single type of Dust, it's almost all of them at once!" She went to the Scroll Tablet and got up a simple photograph of the item in question. "Whenever it is cold, it warms up like Fire Dust cloth would. Warm? A combination of Wind and Ice Dust cool you down without making you too cold. There's many more different things, you'll see. Now, was that all?" They nodded, bid their thanks and goodbyes and headed back to grab their gear.

Once the five were out of earshot and well out of sight, Maron made her way deeper into the Resort to an exclusive wing. After walking through two sets of doors that each required a different passcode to unlock them, she eventually made it to a room not unlike any other room in the Resort, save for the fact that this room had a fair amount of medical equipment in it, and a recently vacated bed for a single woman, who was currently staring out of the one-way glass onto the Resort. She looked to be in her early twenties, much younger looking than Maron's 51.

"I trust you are well, seeing as you are up and about?" The younger woman turned to the receptionist and stared at her, eyes of tangerine orange and her cornsilk yellow hair shimmering as she did, not completely because of the sunlight coming in through the glass or the lighting in the room.

"I simply needed to get up and walk around, being cooped up in that bed makes me feel uncomfortable."

"But you need to stay there until this thing goes away," Maron reminded her. The woman sighed, reluctantly pacing her way back to the bed.

"I trust that Ozpin has sent us a team to help?"

"He has, yes. Team CFVYN, a Fourth Year team of five. Very efficient by the looks of things, I spaced out for about three minutes and in that time, they had the entire plan ready to go."

"That is impressive. I wish I could meet them."

Maron held her arm out as she told her "Well I'm afraid that you can't. Not yet, at least."

"You cannot stop me if you wanted," she gloated, her eyes shimmering ever so slightly more, a result most definitely not from the light outside.

"Juliette Solstice, I may not be your Mother and you may be a Maiden, but that does not mean you are above every rule that is set, and it does not mean you can ignore every precaution set up for you. You've got a huge responsibility in life now, as do I for protecting you, and Ozpin himself has mentioned that you doing this is a huge risk; I don't want to be the one who fails him because of something you do, nor do I imagine you'd want to step out of line and defy him. You took this on yourself, you volunteered your life and solitude is the price you had to pay – I get it, it's hard. But if that thing's out there and it has enough sense to realise that it had a taste of Summer Maiden, who knows what it would do to find you? Please, for everyone's safety, just stay here." Juliette glared at her like a petulant girl, wanting nothing more than to disobey the woman's orders, but decided against it for everyone's safety and sanity. She slinked back into bed with a huff.

"Part of me regrets this," she admitted, staring at no particular spot on the ceiling, "part wishes that I hadn't jumped down the rabbit hole. It painted a target on my back for the rest of my life, and at the time I only saw the power I would get, not the responsibility I had to burden."

"Juliette dear," Maron cooed, sitting down on the bed next to her, "there is so much more to this world than what you had originally been told, I can tell. You _could_ travel, but you would have to do so alone. Staying here, you have companionship – however fleeting it may be some days – and something to keep you preoccupied. There is a huge weight on your shoulders–"

"You're not helping Maron…" the Maiden muttered.

"–but there are those who will help guide you through it all."

"...I take it back," she uttered after a silence, "you are helping, like, a lot. Thank you."

"Not a problem, my sunshine. Now rest while you recover, it will make it pass a little faster." Maron rose and went to leave the room, but remembered something from her conversation first thing this morning. "Actually, I may have something for you to do, if you're interested in doing something different." At once, the cornsilk Maiden's spirit was raised and the receptionist grinned at the sight.


	21. The Flames of Battle, Rage On

True to their word, Team CFVYN sent a mission plan to Maron before they headed out on their mission for the day; basic information such as where people would be and at roughly what time, estimated time of completion, contact information if they needed to be contacted were on there as well. On their way out, the team passed by Jade who was just walking from the salt pool room to the sauna area.

"Hey Yatsu!" That immediately caught everyone's attention, he only ever let people call him that if he was on good terms with them. They had been here for less than 12 hours, so clearly this girl had something special about her. On hearing his name, the giant turned and smiled at her.

"Hello again Jade."

"Oh, so are these your teammates?" she queried, looking past him to the four people he stood with.

With a proud look on his face, one that was rather rare for him to wear, he nodded and indicated to everyone as he spoke of them. "They are. This is Velvet Scarlatina, Orchid Russet - she prefers to be called Neo, Fox Alistair and our leader Coco Adel."

"Wait, Adel? As in-"

"The very same," the fashionista interrupted, knowing full well where the woman's mind was taking her, having been on the receiving end of that question more times than she drank coffee; she drank _a lot_ of coffee. "Nice to meet you Jade. What little Yatsu has told me of you has been nothing but positive." The beret toting woman swore she saw Jade's eyes shine as she said that to her, but Coco definitely noticed the blush coming across her face.

"Really? Aww, that's so sweet, thank you Yatsu!"

"It was nothing, really."

Coco spotted the blush growing on him as well. _Oh, I am going to have so much fun teasing him about this,_ she thought to herself, trying her hardest to hide the evil smirk that threatened to adorn her face. All was not wasted though, as Inner Coco was already cackling away at the thought.

"So, where are you five heading now?" Fox started to explain how they couldn't afford to be telling people that sort of information for fear of raising a panic before she continued her original train of thought, her mood less cheery than it was when she asked her first question. "Is it to go and fight that Grimm up at the 'Summer Spirit' Spring?" Fox stopped speaking instantly, not knowing what to say or do - no one other than the five of them, Maron and Beacon Staff, and potentially this Mrs S, should know about that. Despite them being teammates, Fox couldn't stop himself from shooting the back of Yatsuhashi's head a dirty look as the 7ft swordsman stepped towards this new woman amongst them.

"Jade," he said, resting his hands on both of her shoulders, "I need you to stay positive for me, okay? Remember what I said earlier, about how your emotions can latch on to other people?" She nodded. "This would be a bad time for that to happen. Where were you heading?"

Despite her downcast attitude at present, she answered him with a simple "Sauna."

"Then head there, spend as much time as you need relaxing and letting all your negative emotions be steamed away, alright?" She nodded again, trying her best to brighten her own mood. To help her, the giant wrapped her in a tight yet gentle hug. "How about I do my first bit of training with you quickly before you head in?" At that, she instantly perked up a bit.

"Sure, what have you got in mind?"

"Well," he said, raising himself back to full height, "it's a simple thing in principle, but may take a little time to master, so don't worry if you can't do it now." He turned quickly to his remaining four teammates with an apologetic look on his face. "You four go on ahead, I'll be here for a little bit. It's just some simple mind-calming and Aura suppressing techniques." Three of the four nodded and continued on their path out of the Resort, with Coco playfully smacking his bum on the way past. Neo remained where she was, her head cocked to one side slightly. She stared at Jade, unnerving the pear haired woman. Eventually, she smiled and walked on to catch up with the rest of them, signing a quick {" _Behave yourself Yatsuhashi,_ "} before passing completely.

"What did she say?"

He had to lie to her to save her embarrassment, so he settled on, "'Don't take too long'. Now, the way I calm my mind is I picture a scene I want to see, preferably a scene you can imagine without any people in it, but one that still holds positive thoughts and memories with you." Jade nodded in affirmation as Yatsuhashi continued. "For me, it's the gardens back in my home town. There is an area there where there was nothing but white flowers there when I was a kid. They were so beautiful to look at. Now, what will-"

"The Purple Sunrise..." she uttered, her eyes drifting shut without request. That was good for him, it meant that she didn't see the giant grin growing on his face. Keeping his own emotions in check was proving just as much of a challenge as teaching Jade to control hers.

"Good, okay. Now, picture a single frame of that scene, just one moment from the Purple Sunrise that you can focus on." After a second or two, she nodded again. "Good. Now, focus on the feeling you are getting from reliving that moment, but slowly try to fade the image away to black. Fade the image, keep the feelings."

"You weren't kidding when you said it's difficult to master," she mentioned, opening one eye quickly to gaze at him as she spoke, a move that caught him off guard as she saw the grin on his face that brought up an equally large smile on her own face.

"Just focus on the scene." With her eye re-shutting, she went back to her task. 4 minutes in, her breathing had slowed to a steady rate and she looked calm. With great care, he placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly to her - well, as soft as a bass could when they're speaking right in your ear. "Alright, come on back now Jade. Focus on my voice and slowly let your consciousness come back to the real world." Her eyes fluttered open as if she had just woken up, but the second she realised she was back she was jumping on to him and catching him in a surprise hug around his neck, one he returned after the initial shock of her attack wore off.

"That was great Yatsu!" she cried, untangling her arms from around his neck, "thank you so much for teaching me that."

"I am more than happy to help you with that sort of thing. Now, to suppress your Aura, you need to do the same sort of thing, but instead of a memory you have to focus on your Aura itself."

"Okay, sounds easy enough."

"It kind of is."

"I hope you're not making things too easy for me," she replied, giving him a quick nudge and placing her hands on her hips in irritation, though the smirk on her face suggested that this was in no way a threat.

"Of course not, some people don't get taught about that sort of thing until they enrol into an Academy like Beacon or Atlas, and yet you're being taught on Day 1."

"Good." Her body language suddenly started reading nervous, like she wanted to say something but was slightly embarrassed to say it.

"Jade, is something wrong?" Her eyes darted up to meet his for but a second before returning to stare at the ground.

"Do you want to know what moment I thought about with my Purple Sunrise?" Part of him wanted to speak, but the other half won over and he remained silent, simply nodding as an indication for her to continue. "It was... when I ki... kissed your cheek this morning..." On that, her face lit up like a traffic light, her entire neck stained red from admitting that.

"Why are you embarrassed about that?" Jade looked up at the man opposite her, equal parts confused, relieved and shocked at his response. "There was nothing wrong with that, it is a good memory to remember and use as an anchor for your mind calming." She slumped ever so slightly at the second response; to her, it felt like he had missed the reason for her blush. "Besides, I liked it too." Never mind, he hadn't missed it.

"Really?" she shot back almost too eagerly. He didn't mind, it gave him a little chuckle as she clamped her hands over her mouth.

"Really. And you've made this next part easier for me." With a raised eyebrow from her, he elaborated. "Would you like to meet up tonight and we can go have dinner here together?" The wait between the question and the answer dragged on. And on. And on. An-

"Yes!" she shouted, jumping at him again. This time, he was ready and he caught her mid-jump, spinning her around a couple of times as she laughed in an almost childish manner. "Of course I will." Her mood dropped slightly as she considered that he didn't come here alone. "What about your team, won't they mind?"

"Relax, I spoke to Coco about it earlier, she knows and therefore will explain it forward." The smile on their faces didn't go as they hugged each other once more.

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Coco asked when her towering teammate arrived just outside the Resort's main grounds. "Do you have a girlfriend now?"

"Coco, things aren't going to move that fast, don't get your hopes up. It's... complicated," he offered, alluding more to her Semblance, though Coco not interpreting it that way with the raise of her eyebrow. "And you know I don't do relationships." The fashionista shrugged and continued walking a little bit before he continued speaking. "But if it's alright with you guys, I said I'd meet with her tonight to go for a meal around here." Their leader halted where she was and pivoted on her left heel to stare at him. It wasn't a death stare; in fact, it didn't have any malice behind it at all. It was a stare of acceptance and happiness.

"I'm proud of you Yatsu." She knew that his next words would have been downplaying everything, so she beat him to the punch. "And before you say _anything_ , we are all genuinely proud of you." As _FV_N nodded with smiles, their leader continued with "you told all of us, Neo admittedly later than the rest, that you didn't really feel anything towards other people as we all do - that is not a bad thing. Everyone is different, and you are no exception to that. The fact that you have found someone that makes you _want_ to meet her for dinner is truly amazing, and we will support you every step of the way." Neo was the first to prove that by teleporting herself across the distance and catching the swordsman in the biggest hug she could manage with her much smaller frame, followed soon after by the arms of Velvet, Fox and Coco hugging him as well.

"We're a team Yatsu," Fox mentioned, "and you are my partner - my brother - and we can and will work through it with you. You did it for us and we can think of no better way to return the favour."

"Thank you all. But can you stay back a bit? I still need to figure this out as much as you do."

{" _Sure thing big guy,_ "} signed Neo having broken the hug when her boyfriend finished talking, {" _anything for our family._ "}

"Much appreciated. Now, shall we? I hear there's a Grimm nest not too far from here."

Feeling the need - no thanks to her Mark and some traits spilling into her - to bring the atmosphere up slightly from that mood, Velvet joked with him, asking very blatantly, "where'd you get that info from, Yatsu? Oh, I hope your source is good, else we may be walking into a trap!" Everyone who wasn't wearing a beret and sunglasses in the group looked at her like she had just said the most ridiculous thing on the planet. The one person who was grew starry eyed watching her girlfriend.

"Gods, it's like looking in a mirror..."

"... A mirror-" Velvet purposely prompted Coco, but to avail, so the Rabbit Faunus said it straight, "-that contains a woman more beautiful than any other man or woman you've seen, with the cutest Rabbit ears in the world." After taking the hint like a kick to the gut, Coco agreed with her girlfriend's statement.

"Of course, hunny-bun, that's what I _meant_ to say; but I didn't want to take away from Yatsu's moment in the limelight."

Suddenly realising that she had just been fairly selfish, Velvet's ears drooped and a quick but pained "Sorry!" shot from her lips. The gentle giant approached her and explained how everything is alright, no one had been hurt and that they could all move on. The quintet walked for about 40 minutes, initially starting conversation on Yatsuhashi's 'date' for tonight - though he insisted that it not be called such - but eventually shifting to more pressing matters, like their strategy for taking their target after they found out the very first place they came across was an Alpha nest _surrounded by_ a few, smaller nests.

{" _Who even decided that this place would be prime location for a resort?_ "} Neo asked, looking over the masses of smoking black horror that prowled in front of them all, {" _As fantastic of a team as I know we are, there are more high level Grimm here than us._ " One of the (all too few) useful lessons that came from Professor Port's lectures was that most teams needed to have odds of at least 4:3 against any advanced and older Grimm, 2:1 for higher ranked teams. _Those_ odds were favourable for them, as there were five of them, shifting everything to their own advantage. The odds were currently stacked 5:9 _against_ them, and that was just counting the Alphas; there were pools of darkness that were birthing new Ursa Minors and Creeps and Beowolves left, right and centre around the Alpha area. {" _You're plan of attack better be something spectacular, Coco._ "}

"Well the first thing I'm going to suggest," the leader whispered, "is for everybody to not panic at any stage - there are more Grimm here than we imagined, but that doesn't mean this is a lost cause. We're Team CFVYN for fuck's sake, we can handle this!" Velvet felt a lot more at ease now - having Coco as a Mate was extremely helpful, positive emotions and feelings could flood her when she felt down, helping immensely in situations like this when she felt a little outclassed. "Now," Coco continued, "next port of call is sussing what the plan of attack is on this Hive, 'cause this sure as hell isn't a nest!" Brown eyes glared at the Giant Grimm nest/Hive past the sunglasses she always wore, a part of her way inside of her silently wishing that she could destroy them with a glare. Sadly, she wasn't one of the lucky ones who could do that; Professor Goodwitch could _technically_ do that - although it worked better on silly ideas of boneheaded students than it did on Grimm - and that Penny girl probably could as well.

"Coco..." her girlfriend said to her, positive emotions of her own now flooding Coco's mind; frustration not only at the size of this thing, but also at the fact that she couldn't shoot lasers from her eyes or something equally as outrageous to catch the attention of a couple of Creatures' flowing steadily around her thoughts. The caramel haired woman took a long breath, calming herself on Velvet's positivity as Yatsuhashi offered his opinions on the piece, the curious Grimm losing interest once again.

"Well, attacking head on would be suicidal, so we'd need to get around the nest bef-"

"Hive, Yatsu. This is a Hive." With a small smirk, Yatsuhashi corrected himself.

"Sorry Coco; we'd need to get around this _Hive_ and attack from multiple fronts. We know your weapon can easily cleave through bog standard Grimm Coco, have you ever tried on an Alpha like this without Hyping it before?"

The team leader shook her head, but admitted that "it's worth a shot. I'll need to conserve Aura if all of the nests are going to be like this. If Velvet and I attacked from opposite sides simultaneously, then we could thin the crowd around the edges. You three then have a shot at destroying the outermost nests and any stragglers before we all converge again and strike at the heart of the Hive." She looked around at her team. "Any objections?"

There were none.

"Perfect. Neo and Velvet, go." That was all they needed, the team dynamic had become so close that very few words were often said, yet everyone knew exactly what to do. It's what comes with a strong team that does really well on pre-battle communications, everyone knows what they're doing before they set out to do it. The two smaller women gave their respective partners a quick peck for good luck, then linked hands and shattered in front of everyone. Coco shifted her and the two boys' position so that they we in front of a larger horde of Grimm. Her logic was sound, if you're going to wipe them out, why stand in the open well away from everything when you can move next to a large group of them and take them out first?

"Where'd you want us to go Coco?" questioned Fox when Coco had found her position.

After a quick scan of the area, she indicated to the first pool on the floor. "There. Once I've cleared them out, take out that first pool Fox. You know how to, right?"

He nodded, "Fire Dust until the surface of the pool is aflame, then Ice Dust to snuff it out instantly when the time is right." Thank you, Port.

"Good. From there, go to whichever pool is closest and clearest. Yatsu, you alright doing guard duty?"

"It is what I do best."

"Atta boy, big guy! Let's get this started then, shall we?" Coco detached her handbag from herself and unfolded it to let Gianduja do the talking. She slowly spun the barrels, listening out for the same sound of the weapon on the far side of the Hive. She heard it roughly 15 seconds later, and when she did a giant grin formed on her face. She spun the barrels faster to their firing speed, and even over her own whirring weapon she made out a second doing the same thing. Two Creeps and an Ursa grew curious and approached the sound of mechanical whirring, only to be greeted by the first few shots fired from the Gatling guns. Those Grimm were decimated instantly, the next few followed soon after that. Once Grimm number 8 fell, others outside of the two destructive cones of death finally caught on to what was happening. Rather than screams of death from the Grimm, it was a battle cry from near the centre; a large Alpha Beowolf with a gash down its left side, earned most likely from one of the previous people who'd tried to take it down. The two halves of the team used that battle cry to enact stage two of the plan.

Coco and Velvet trained their weapons more over the pools of darkness that they were near, clearing that area for their melee ranged teammates. Coco's had less Grimm surrounding it, so hers was cleared first. One it was, Fox charged at it, the surface already starting to bubble slightly as a new creature was being created from the nothingness that it was. A Creep that survived both initial onslaught and the subsequent one charged at the dark skinned boy from the side, aiming to keep him away from the pool, but with an Aura augmented boost, Yatsuhashi slammed into the side of it with his shoulder, throwing it far away from his brother. The attack on the Grimm hurt his shoulder, but the swordsman fought through the pain, swinging his weapon at a Beowolf that thought it could try to get behind him.

Fox loaded up a couple of Fire Dust rounds into one of his gauntlets and readied a miniature vial of Ice Dust in his off hand, then when he reached his pool he unloaded those rounds into the tar like puddle. Near enough instantaneously, the darkness erupted into flames, the surface burning away upon connection with the Fire Dust. It would take some time for the flames to get to the right place, so for now Fox needed to fight off what Grimm were there. Fortunately for the student, an approaching Beowolf would certainly tide him over for a minute or two.

~ _Fox, you got a light?_ ~

Copper brown eyes looked over at Neo, who was almost effortlessly fending off against Creeps and Ursa Minors, but was clearly wanting something from him. It took a second or two (okay, maybe approaching ten) before her request registered and started to make sense to him. With a smirk, then a prompt kick to the head of a Creep that was trying to attack with his back turned, killing it, Fox fired a few rounds at Neo.

Not towards her, _at_ her.

Just as she wanted.

In a movement that almost seemed like a dance, Neo spun her parasol her body, smacking her target once as she did so, then brushed the tip of her weapon into the puddle nearby and let Fox's bullets impact it, setting the tar like substance on her parasol alight. With the materials it was composed of, prolonged exposure to fire would certainly stain the tip a burnt black, but for what she had planned, a little fire wouldn't hurt it. Weapon now on fire, Neo grinned and swung at a pair of attacking Grimm, setting one of the Grimm's fur on fire. Fox saw this and called it out.

"Coco! Time bomb, right by Neo!" The gunner seized her firing for only a minute to spot the time bomb, finding it with ease.

"Nice one Fox! Keep the rest of these Grimm occupied, watch out for your puddle, and get _it_ near the centre. Neo, light yours up, we haven't got all day." The mute nodded and plunged the flaming tip into the puddle, setting it ablaze as well. To extinguish the fire on her parasol, Neo dug the tip into the ground, but rather than remove it instantly she used it as a small yet sturdy pole to use as leverage for a devastating kick to the stomach of an Ursa Major, it's skin already flaking away from its death before it even hit the ground, before yanking her weapon out of the ground and moving on.

Fox's attention was now split between two puddles; Neo's one with its regular orange flames, and his own, where the flames had already started shifting in colour to a much deeper red, almost crimson. He readied another vial of Ice Dust, but had to focus on the two Creeps charging at him from his flanks.

Velvet had run out of time on her hard light construct of Coco's weapon, so she entered the fray along with everyone else except her girlfriend. The first Grimm to approach her - the vast majority of them avoiding her when she was firing at the due to the imminent death that would surely follow - was a lone Beowolf, leaping at the mage when it was close enough. Most people may not be fast enough to dodge a leaping Beowolf. Sadly for the monster, a Huntress-in-Training like Velvet, Beowolves are comparatively sluggish to some of their enemies and even teammates. The Rabbit rolled out of the way before the beast had even reached the apex of its jump, and by the time it had landed, Velvet was already flying through the air towards it. Her foot cracked against the head of the Grimm, knocking it to the floor, then to make sure it was staying down she followed that attack up with an axe kick to its neck, shattering the little bit of bony protection this Grimm had there and finishing it off.

_Pride._

Velvet shot Coco a look, who was still firing away and thinning out the crowd for the rest of them, but she must have briefly watched the Faunus take out that Grimm and shot a feeling of pride her way. Yeah sure, killing standard Beowolves wasn't exactly praiseworthy under normal circumstances, they're essentially cannon fodder in comparison to other, more substantial Grimm like the Ursa or even the Alpha Beowolves, but that didn't stop CFVYN's leader feeling immensely proud of her girlfriend and Mate for doing something as cool as that. Very few things bested the sense of pride she felt from Coco, so Velvet sent a quick kiss the beret wearer's way before jumping to the next targets; a couple of Creeps roaring at Yatsuhashi because they 'had him surrounded'.

The swordsman stared at the Grimm, taking in their numbers and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. He saw something approaching out of the corner of his eye, so he glanced round to see if it was something coming to attack. Fortunately for him, it was simply Velvet, who had jumped on the back of a Creep and sprung off it to land next to her tank of a teammate.

"How's everything been going for you, Yatsu?" the brunette asked almost casually, a little winded but nothing too detrimental.

The man answered, "Not too bad. I'm a little surrounded at the moment, as you can see, but nothing I can't handle. Why, do you want in?"

"I can't let you have _all_ the fun over here, now can I?"

"If you insist," he replied with a grin. The pair shot outwards at the same time, Yatsuhashi taking large swings that hit many Grimm all at once, whereas Velvet was focussing more on individual Grimm, but shooting between them at a much faster rate than Yatsuhashi ever could. Velvet landed an elbow into the eye socket of a crouching Beowolf, then with the same arm punched a Creep in its jaw. From that, she kicked backwards to catch the Beowolf in the jaw, followed by a second kick to the Beowolf's chest before finally kicking off the flaking corpse and delivering a knee to the Creeps gullet. Unfortunately for her, with the momentum of that knee, she flew right into the swing of another Beowolf waiting right behind it, knocking her away and taking a sizable chunk of her Aura with it. She landed with a skid, but the damage was noticeable to her Aura as she rose from the landing a little sluggish. Yatsuhashi saw that as the perfect opportunity. "Velvet, jump high."

She heard the command and saw him swinging his sword round his body to build momentum, and so she responded with a simple "Right!" Channelling as much Aura as she could manage into her legs, she sprung high into the air. As she did, the giant swung the Greatsword down to the ground, firing Aura through his blade as well, to create a giant shockwave of energy that radiated across the floor out around him. The sheer power of the blast killed a couple of the weaker Grimm caught in it, severely injuring most others who were a little sturdier. The burning Grimm was hit too, its fur now burning with a deep crimson similar to what Fox and Neo's puddles were moments ago, though no real damage was done to it, it was simple knocked off balance a bit. The two pools of darkness were now burning with a dark raspberry flame; their colours were shifting faster than that of the Grimm due to the inactivity of the puddle compared to the constant moving and attacking of the creature.

Fox hacked his way through an Ursa or two before an immense roar came from his right. His head shot round to the source of the sound, only to be greeted with a claw already coming down to his position.

"Shit!" Jumping backwards was about all he could do to stop himself getting crushed and/or sliced up by the Alpha Beowolf's claws. He came to a halt right by Coco, who was still firing away every now and again to keep the crowd thin for her team. "Little help here Coco?" Brown eyes shifted their focus to her teammate behind her and the Alpha Beowolf standing not too far from him, towering over them all and growling at them like they were _its_ prey.

How wrong it was.

Coco relented on the supressing fire, folding her weapon back into its more compact form. "Fox, give your girlfriend a vial of Ice Dust and tell her to stay by her puddle. You do the same; at the very least we need the puddles gone, else this'll end up as a losing battle." Nodding once in affirmation, he ran off towards his girlfriend, who was currently facing off against two large Ursa and a handful of Creeps, as Coco strutted towards the Alpha, left hand in a pocket and right firmly gripping her weapon. Beowolves, despite being the slime of the Grimm, still appeared intimidating at 7'4". This Alpha dwarfed that, towering over everyone here except for one of its brethren, at approaching 9ft tall. But this was Coco Adel, this wasn't the sort of thing that fazed her. "You know, I thought you'd be tougher up close," she mocked, a deep growl coming from the beast to indicate that it somewhat understood her. Coco lowered her sunglasses to stare at it with a sly smirk. "Guess I was wrong."

A roar broke her smirk and she was immediately on the defensive; the roar didn't come from an Alpha, instead it came from an Ursa clawing at her from her left, followed by another handful of Creeps - there were more of them than the team ever thought they'd seen in one place before. The gunner jumped back, opening some space between her and the mass of darkness approaching, shooting the Alpha a look that said, "You got lucky this time". She wouldn't have enough time to get her Gatling gun out and attack from afar, so she had to rely on close quarters combat. _Great,_ she thought as she landed, readying herself for a fight she'd rather not have to do like this.

Meanwhile, Neo was gaily darting between all the targets she had at the moment. She knew that she could take them all on with ease, what she was doing now was stalling, waiting for her puddle to get to the right colour of flame before snuffing it out and stopping any more Grimm spawning. An important lesson they were taught in Third Year Grimm Studies was that there are pools of dark energy that spawn Grimm. Whilst uncommon, they must be destroyed immediately. The method of doing so was relatively simple: light it on fire with a reliable source of flame - i.e., Fire Dust - pay close attention to it as the flame colour shifts from the normal orange to crimsons, purples and deep blues until it reaches an azure blue colour, then cover the entire puddle with Ice Dust as fast as possible once it reaches that colour, snuffing out the fire but also doing something unknown to basically everybody that renders the pool inert and essentially destroys it.

They needed to make sure they did this right, covering it only when the flame burned azure blue, or colours close to that, and Professors Gale and Port gave a very decent demonstration as to why. They both took their respective Third Year classes out to one of the many fields around Beacon during the time their classes coincided with one another stating that they "needed the open space for this demonstration". Professor Goodwitch had come along as well, so it was quite a big deal apparently. Professor Port let out a small Boarbatusk from a cage, but it was still tethered down so it couldn't move. Professor Gale then set a small clump of its black skin alight with some Fire Dust, then used some Time Dust very sparingly to speed up the process. The flame burned through the colours it needed, reaching azure blue in two and a half minutes thanks to the time dilation. As he often did, Professor Port stated very matter of factly that "whilst unknown to most people, Grimm are surprisingly flammable. You can use this sort of method to eliminate the pest, but do so at your own risk for as you see..." the flames had passed azure and were now glowing with an aquamarine colour. They had also grown in intensity as well, the small patch of flame spreading over the body in a way it never did before. The creature struggled against its restraints, only realising now that it was on fire, but to no avail. Once the flames had encompassed its entire body, it let out a final roar before there was a rumble felt by the students coming from the Boarbatusk. After a couple of seconds, the Grimm exploded with the force of a small bomb. "...Grimm do explode if left burning for long, and it causes quite a blast. This was but a small pup, yet it could easily wipe someone's Aura out. Imagine what would happen if you used this on something more substantial. The puddles can explode as well, spreading their content everywhere and creating more work for you all. It is in your best interests for that not to happen."

It was a fair assumption to say that the lesson was easily the combined most terrifying and intriguing lesson they had ever been part of at Beacon. And it was also one of only two times anyone from Team CFVYN had seen Professor Gale out of her bunker. Sorry, her classroom.

Neo was so caught up in toying with a couple of Beowolves that she didn't see or hear the Ursa Major coming up behind her ready to crush her. She was quite fortunate that Fox was coming to give her something, else there would have most likely been a Neapolitan coloured pancake on the grass. The copper haired boy dove into the back of the creature, his blades on his gauntlets extended out and driving straight into the Alpha beast, and he rode it down to the ground, pulling the blades out and jumping off to stand by his girlfriend's side only when it was mere moments from impacting the ground.

"You know, you would have been crushed if I hadn't come along," he told her, kicking out at a Beowolf that got too close.

~ _I am aware,_ ~ she mentally replied, knocking another Beowolf's claws away and running it through with her blade, ~ _but you got my back. Thank you though._ ~

As Fox fired off some shots into the crowd in front of them, he looked at her with a slightly irritated look, saying "If you knew it was there, why did you act oblivious to it? You could have died."

~ _In all honesty, I was waiting for my knight in earthy coloured armour to save me,_ ~ she teased. He couldn't stay mad, so in one solid movement he took out a Grimm with a shot and closed the gap to plant a quick kiss on her lips, a gesture she also replicated.

"All you had to do was ask, y'know."

~ _And where is the fun in that?_ ~

"Hey!" came the sudden cry from Coco all the way across the clearing, "less kissing, more killing!"

As Neo rolled her eyes, Fox handed her the small vial of Ice Dust. "You know what to do." She nodded, then noticed a pool of almost azure coloured flames across the distance.

~ _Fox, your puddle needs some attention._ ~ He turned and spotted the flames, and in an instant he sprung from his spot over a portion of the pack, firing a few rounds into them, killing off one or two, and ran to his pool. He got out his vial of Ice Dust and ran around the edge, sprinkling what he could around the outside of the puddle, freezing it and letting the Dust works its way inwards. Once he was sure that was working, he chucked the rest to the middle of the puddle, causing the vial to explode Ice Dust out from the epicentre and freezing over the rest of the dark pool on the ground. In about 10 seconds from start to finish, one puddle had gone from aflame to completely inert.

"I've got one!" he shouted out, letting the other four know.

"Well done," shouted Coco, "think you can get another one done before the Time Bomb blows?" He glanced over at the burning beast and saw the flames burning with a dark lavender colour - it was close, but not completely there.

"Not sure, it'd be a struggle unless I could get it to stay still or speed up the process in some way."

Coco was about to give an order before Velvet responded to Fox's dilemma. "Take one of its limbs. There'd be less of it, so the flames would actually burn a little faster."

Now Coco spoke, her decision altered by her Mate's input. "Great idea Velvs! And great job with the Ursa hunny!"

"Thanks Coco," replied the Rabbit as she dug her heel into the back of the Bear Grimm, killing it.

"Fox, take one of its limbs, then it can't move a lot. Once you've successfully completed that, get it near the centre of this nest and then start destroying another puddle. Your priority is making sure that Creep takes as many others with it when it goes boom, especially the big guys!"

"Understood Coco." Fox dashed towards the burning Grimm, focussing its attention on his with a couple of swift kicks to its side. It turned and growled at him, its hide now burning with a midnight blue flame. "Come on you creepy looking thing, let's move you somewhere nice." The Creep charged, just as Fox wanted, and he ran. It tried on numerous attempts to attack, but each time Fox flipped over it, infuriating it further. The scarred boy's tactic was a risky one; he would run straight into the line of fire of the remaining five elder Grimm, remove a limb of the burning Grimm and letting it explode, taking the big ones and at least 60% of the other remaining creatures with it. By the time he was in the midst of the main nest, the flame was now glowing azure blue, just as it was supposed to. Under normal circumstances, seeing that colour Fox would have thrown Ice Dust at it to extinguish the fire and kill the Grimm. Failing that, killing the Grimm normally would have yielded the same effect, only with less wasted Dust. This time, it was destructive option number 3's turn in the spotlight.

The creature started stumbling as it charged at Fox this time, a sign that the flames were taking their toll on its body - the slight green hue to the sharper blue flame and the increased intensity of it also showing that. Turns out, it was going to blow a lot sooner than they'd expected all on its own. "Guys, bomb's about to blow; get out of here!" Yatsuhashi pulled his Greatsword from the now flaking shoulder of an Ursa he just killed, and promptly ran to Velvet, who herself was fighting off against a pair of Beowolves with a hard light version of Cardin's mace (said bully didn't know she had it, but what he didn't know couldn't hurt him). Once her two targets were defeated she didn't have much time to react before she was scooped up onto the shoulder of her giant teammate, sitting atop it and creating Port's Blunderbuss as a way to lay down some supressing fire for Yatsuhashi's escape. Coco has defeated the Creeps and Ursa that had attacked her, not without sustaining some damage herself, and was also running away from the nest. Neo, however, was running towards the nest, specifically towards Fox. The Creep was large enough that an explosion created by it blowing up would have been far too great for practically anyone to outrun. She was the only one who could realistically save him and herself from sacrificing either of them to take out the other creatures.

~ _Hey, no self-sacrificing on my watch._ ~

He huddled up close and remained still, crouching down close to the ground as the creatures stalked in on them and the death cry of the Creep rang through their ears. "Sorry to disappoint Ni, but I had no doubts I would be leaving in a body bag."

The mute smirked, ~ _what makes you think you would have left here? I might have just let you rot where you died._ ~ The rumbling started and a few Grimm noticed. It was too late for them.

"Oh come on, you wouldn't do that."

~ _And why not?_ ~ The Creep started to glow brightly now, mere moments away from exploding.

"Because you love me too much."

' _Yuk!_ _ **That's**_ _what you had to offer? That's a load of bull-_ '

With one final gargantuan roar, the Creep's body exploded with the force of nearly two and a half tonnes of TNT. The green flames that came from the blast scorched the earth around it, leaving nothing but charred grass, blackened trees and broken rocks. Everything that was living within 30 metres of the epicentre was killed instantly, most things up to 50 metres not surviving for very long. The fireball that came from the blast rose high above the treetops, easily visible from the Resort. From her room, Juliette spotted the flames and looked out at it anxiously, her project slowly coming together as she stared at the green ball turning into a black pillar of smoke. Jade didn't see the blast, but she heard and felt it. She felt nervous at first, believing that Yatsuhashi and his team had been hurt, but then she told herself to calm down - she didn't want to panic and therefore make everyone else panic, so she tried one of Yatsuhashi's calming methods. After a minute or two, she was much more relaxed. She tried amping her feelings up too, just to see if she could help others; there was a small effect, and some people felt much calmer close by, which was enough. She thanked her giant friend and returned to the spa, reminding herself to ask of this later.

C_VY_ moved themselves from their hiding spots, searching for their two teammates who, as far as they knew, were about 3 metres away from ground zero. They walked around apprehensively looking for any signs that they were still alive. They all had a hunch they were, but until they saw them, Fox and Neo were MIA. Hopefully, not KIA.

"If I may, I vote we try and avoid doing that again." The more senior members nodded at Velvet's proposition; there was a lot of mess now, and whilst they had completely destroyed this nest - their main objective for the mission - they had also destroyed a large portion of the woods around them as well. The one silver lining that they could think of from this was that this area would have needed to have been completely cleansed before people could walk through here again, and they kind of already did that.

"I'm just saying," came Fox's voice from above, the three of them on the ground looking up to see the odd couple descending slowly towards them using Neo's parasol as a makeshift parachute, "that teleporting to the others would have been the safer option... I _know_ that this looks cooler, but that would have been safer... You are not Mary Poppins, Neo, and they can't hear you!" They touched down in front of them, the woman grinning whilst Fox looked slightly less impressed. "Hey guys."

"You know, Fox was right Neo," Yatsuhashi commented, "it would have been a fair bit safer to teleport to us rather than up. For all we know, there could have been Nevermores up there. And the fact you waited until literally the last second didn't help either." To say Neo looked a little annoyed that she was being told off was an understatement. She rested her parasol on her shoulder and rolled her eyes at him.

"Right, just for that, normal sleeping arrangements again tonight. And Velvet and I get the nicer bed." Neo immediately behaved after that, but her deed had been done and Coco's words were standing. The ice cream girl wasn't best pleased about that, but Fox did remind her that she brought it on herself. Whilst she was the oldest in the group by a fair few years - a fact she tried to remind them all, but one that ultimately didn't hold as a trump this time - sometimes Coco needed to treat her a little bit like a child. Whilst she was a far cry from the Neo that she originally was, the cold-hearted, merciless killer, she still had her moments - this being one. Unlike their original plan, which was to split up into groups and try to take out more of the nests at once, they opted to stick together as a full team after what the first one was like. They may not get them all covered like they had originally planned, but they got through them quicker and safer. After the second and third nest, the two men wondered if sticking together was the best idea, but Neo told them that they were sticking to this new plan. Coco had to admit, she secretly loved how easy it was to get Neo to comply with and enforce things by taking away something she wanted.

The team didn't get through all the nests as they had discussed they were going to today, but cutting their day off early meant they could fully recover and take out the remaining ones in much better shape in the morning. Plus, Yatsuhashi had someone to meet this evening as well; you couldn't be late for these things. As the five of them were walking back through the main gates of the Resort at around 5:50pm, they were greeted by Maron, who looked a little pleased to see them returning, but not 100% happy - they could all tell that much.

"Hey... um, yeah... I can guess why you're here."

The receptionist glared at the fashionista. "Can you, Ms Adel? Then, if you _can_ guess, please explain to me why there was a giant pillar of smoke coming from where one of the Grimm's nests was earlier today, accompanied by an almighty boom that some of us _felt_ even 1.5km away?"

~ _I'm getting Goodwitch vibes here,_ ~ Fox commented to Neo, ~ _are you getting Goodwitch vibes here?_ ~

~ _I like it,_ ~ she mentioned with a faint smirk.

~ _Of course_ ** _you_** _would._ ~

"Long story short, one of the Grimm we were fighting caught ablaze, and we thought it would be in the best interest of time and resources to export a little trick we learnt last year about blowing up Grimm to clear out the nest - which turned out to be a little more than a nest and was instead more like a giant hive. We'd only ever seen it done on a Boarbatusk pup, and that caused a pretty big blast. Honestly, should have scaled it better..." Deep down, Coco was getting Goodwitch vibes as well, only Maron felt even scarier to her, as she was giving the caramel coloured leader the same fear and apprehension the crop wielding Professor did without having a semblance or activated Aura to speak of. And if you can match the fear Glynda Goodwitch can output without an Aura, you deserve to be feared when you're angry.

Byzantine eyes remained staring for a couple more seconds before they shut with a heavy sigh. "You are lucky you all came out of that blast alive. Please, for my sanity and the ease of the people currently visiting the 'Four Season Springs' Resort, do try to avoid doing that again." The five of them all silently agreed to her demand, then followed her back into the resort proper. They went to part just inside the main entrance, by Maron caught one of them before they left. "Oh, Yatsuhashi?"

"Yes Maron?"

"I bumped into Jade earlier today," the woman's name caught the group's attention, "she seemed very excited about tonight. Please be kind to her, she is here so often she has become like a daughter to me."

"You have my word, I would not do anything to intentionally hurt her." The receptionist smiled, satisfied with the answer given, and turned to walk away. The tank also continued walking away, but unlike Maron who was walking alone, Yatsuhashi had four other people he was walking with, three who were rather vocal and a fourth who was blissfully silent in comparison, but was the muscle of the group when he was otherwise occupied. Right now, she seemed to be standing very close to him, most likely there to restrain him if he didn't comply with what they were inevitably going to ask.

"So Yatsu, you figured out what you're going to be doing tonight with Jade?"

 _And_ _ **there's**_ _the question,_ he thought. "No Velvet, I do not know. We are just meeting up and, as we all know here, this is the first time I've ever done anything like this."

Coco rested a hand on his shoulder. "You know we want to help, but with what you told me, we _are_ going to back off and let you figure this out yourself." The emphasis on the "are" was very intentionally directed at the _VF_N of the group, as well as herself in retrospect.

"It is appreciated. But I will ask you and Neo something as the resident fashion gurus of the team: what am I going to wear?" The two Pans grinned, knowing they'd just been handed the reigns to dress their teammate up.

{" _Let's get you dolled up for your date!_ "}

"Please do not call it that Neo..." he replied with a sigh as he was dragged back to their rooms by the two women. Fox and Velvet looked at each other and shrugged, following their partners back at a comfortable distance.


	22. Tall Orders

Jade was nervous, as anyone would be. She was fiddling with her dress - a simple knee length black number with a pink, orange and yellow pattern on the left side by the bottom of it - smoothing out the non-existent creases, making herself look presentable. She rounded off the look with a small bit of natural makeup and some very subtle rosy pink lipstick. "Nothing too over the top," she remembered saying, so to make her look a little more casual she wore a pair of light pink flats that matched the pink in the dress and a black leather jacket. She smoothed out the creases once again.

"You'll wear creases in if you keep doing that. Just stay calm."

"Right, sorry," Jade whispered in return, "thanks Juliette."

" **Who?!** " the young Maiden shot back, her tangerine eyes glaring at the green themed woman from under her hood, glowing slightly in her rage.

"Sorry Juno! Your name is Juno!" The glow subsided, but the glare did not.

"That's better."

"Now, now, let's not have any of that." Maron just so happened to be walking past at the time, so took it upon herself to stop what was happening before it got too out of hand. "It was an honest mistake _Juno,_ a minor slip up."

"But one that could cost me my life, remember?" The cornsilk haired young woman seemed almost hurt at the fact her pseudo-mother and step-sister could forget so easily how little leeway she had in her life anymore.

Maron sighed, "Yes, I am aware. But this in of itself is risky; you wanted to leave your room just so you could see the man Jade here is so fascinated in. It's a trifle silly, if you ask me."

"I know..." Juliette admitted, turning back to the table she was sat at, her hood still masking her hair, "but you know how much I hate being kept in that room, especially now. The sooner the five of them can defeat that thing, the sooner I can have a decent night's sleep again." There was a brief silence before Juliette turned back to Maron and said, "and that isn't the _only_ reason. I've finished his gown as well, so this was an opportunity to give it to him."

"Jade could have done that."

"Yes, and then Jade could have been linked to me. I feel like it's safer this way." Both older women saw a flaw in her logic, but let it slide; she was doing this and, even though she didn't outwardly show it, she was the happiest she had been in a long time, ever since she last went up to her favourite Spring on the resort, the one she selfishly named after herself. The monster that resides up there caught her, and whilst her powers allowed her to free herself from its grasp before any lasting damage was done, she still felt drained and weak. Her mood was a lot worse as well, the girl so happy before, at times shining like the sun in her namesake month, was now dull and grey and moody, the exact opposite of what you think when you hear the word "Summer".

Jade's attention shifted slightly from Juliette's sadness to stare around the room, and to her surprise Yatsuhashi was already arriving; that lifted her spirits a bit. He wasn't wearing anything too formal, just his muted sky blue shirt and a pair of grey jeans along with some coffee brown brogues. He wasn't alone, Fox and Neo were walking with him, chatting away and carrying their robes under their arms. She initially wondered why the other two girls weren't there with them, but after giving it a brief amount of thought she decided she didn't want to know. She waved the trio of students over as Maron left to continue her duties.

"Hi Yatsu!"

"Good evening Jade."

"And hey there, Fox and... Orchid? Is that right?"

"Technically, it is," Fox mentioned, "but she prefers 'Neo', don't you hun?" The mute nodded and looked at him for a few seconds before Fox continued speaking. "She said that if you remember 'Orchid' better, she doesn't mind you calling her that."

"Wait, she didn't say anything or use Sign, how can you know what she's saying?"

"It's a long story Jade," Yatsuhashi assured, resting a hand on Jade's shoulder, "one that, with their permission, I might tell you." The pair nodded, clearly happy with that.

"Thanks you two." Neo couldn't help but notice the woman sat next to where Jade was, looking at them constantly throughout their entire conversation. She pointed her out to her teammates, and the second their eyes fell on her she turned away. "Oh, this is my friend, Juno."

"Hey..." she said as unenthusiastically as humanly possible in her best attempt to deter them from getting near. Not likely to happen when Neo is around. The ice cream girl walked from where she was to sit down next to Juno, her head cocked to one side in intrigue. Juno realised that there was someone there only after a few seconds, but rather than run away, she stared at the mute, curious as to what she was planning on doing. The older woman recoiled in shock at her eyes, but not out of fear but of amazement. Neo smiled and shut her eyes, scrunching her face up in concentration. When she opened her eyes again, they were the same tangerine orange that Juno's were, a sight that brought wonder to the face of the original owner of those eyes. "Is that what my eyes look like?" Neo nodded with a smile. "My eyes look sexy!" Jade and Fox both started laughing at that, embarrassing the cornsilk haired woman. "What?"

"It's not a bad thing," Fox promised as the laughs subsided to giggles, "it was just the way you jumped straight to that was really funny. Yes, they are sexy; have you never really seen them before?"

"Well, obviously I have, but it isn't the same, is it?" Juno turned to Neo and smiled, "you look really sexy with orange eyes. Can you keep them like that?" She held her hand out and wobbled it a bit, as if to say, "sort of". "Well you should wear them like that a little while. It suits you." Neo pulled out her Scroll and opened the camera to see herself. She did have to admit, she did look mightily sexy with these glorious orange eyes.

~ _Fitting,_ ~ she thought to herself.

~ _What is?_ ~ replied Fox.

~ _I'll explain in a bit._ ~

Jade coughed deliberately, drawing attention to herself. "Anyway, Yatsu and I are heading off. It was nice to see you two again, and thank you Orc- Neo, for getting Juno to laugh. You don't know how much she's been needing that." The petite woman shrugged with a smile.

"Seriously, I needed that Neo. Oh, before I forget Jade," Juno stood and walked over to Yatsuhashi, rummaging around in her little black backpack she was carrying, "this is for you." She pulled out a robe, identical to every other one in the resort.

"Um..."

"Try it on," she insisted. With an initial hesitant shrug, he unfolded the white robe. Immediately he saw there was something different. For one, it was much longer than any of the other robes he tried on when he first got here. When he slipped it on over his shirt, it fit perfectly.

"This is my size exactly; did you find one hidden away somewhere?"

"No," Juno replied, "Mrs S. worked her magic and made this just for you, so it's yours to keep." She leaned in close and spoke in a whisper, "just don't tell anybody, alright?"

"I understand."

"Well, enjoy yourself tonight Yatsu," his brother-in-arms commented, "we've got a lot of time to kill until we can get back into the room." Okay, now Jade was sure she _really_ didn't want to know where the other two were. "Got any recommendations for a couple of Hunters that need some relaxing, Juno?"

"I think I've got just the place for you. Bye Jade!"

"Bye Juno!"

"See you later Juno," added the gentle giant, "and thank Mrs S. if you see her for me."

"She will appreciate it, believe me." And with that, Fox, Neo and Juno all rounded a corner out of the green pair's way for the rest of the evening. Jade sighed slightly, then looked at Yatsuhashi, who was still staring after the three of them.

"Everything okay up there?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. So, you come here often enough to know this place like your own home, where's a good place for food?" She giggled slightly and wrapped her arm around his.

"I'll show you. I hope you're hungry."

* * *

Yatsuhashi had to admit, he hadn't seen a restaurant like this in a resort. Most of the time, they had been diner-esque places or pub bars serving pub food. This, however, was essentially its own restaurant. The last time he'd been somewhere this fancy was at the end of their last academic year at Beacon, where the team treated themselves to a meal to celebrate their first official full year of being together as a five-piece team and, to quote Coco directly, "being the best damn team Ozpin has ever had walking through his doors!" Although he didn't really like blowing his own horn, in all honesty, she probably wasn't wrong.

They waited at the door for a minute or two and had a look at the drinks menu. They stayed simple, both not wanting to drunkenly do anything they'd regret, so Jade ordered a sparkling apple juice while Yatsuhashi got himself a glass of sparkling water. Jade escorted him over to a little table for two off to one side of the room, away from the windows and as far away from prying eyes as she could get them. They weren't in the very corner as she'd secretly hoped for, but it was close enough.

"Why did you not want to be in line of sight?" the tall man asked, sitting down opposite her at the table, "Are you embarrassed about us?"

"No!" she responded, once again too quick for her taste and slightly too loud for a couple of others' tastes. She slammed her hands over her mouth and gave herself a little more time to think before answering again. Once the waiter had arrived with the drinks they ordered at the door, she continued. "I'm not embarrassed, no. Far from it, I'm ecstatic - I never got the chance to date when I was education because people I liked got nervous around me, so I gave them a wide birth. I now know that it was my semblance throwing their emotions out of whack whenever mine went a bit crazy, but hey, better late than never I suppose." Yatsuhashi shrank back in his seat at the mention of the word 'date', fearing that she thought that it was what this was. I mean, technically it is, but he didn't want to think of it as such. It was an awkward situation he put himself in. "Not that I think _this_ is a date. I know you probably don't like to think of it as one, right?"

"That is correct. It seems so... alien, using the word having previously accepted who I was a long time ago. I'm sorry if it makes things odd on your end." Neon green eyes looked into his brown, trying to convey as best she could through eye contact alone that she thought nothing less of him for doing this, nor did she want anything more from him. She accompanied the look with the words to match.

"Yatsu, I know you may feel uncomfortable with this whole thing, which if that is the case we can stand up right now, apologise for wasting their time and we can leave and, I don't know, go have a hot stone massage to relax or something. I don't want you feeling like you have to do this, and if you'd much rather be somewhere else, then we can do that instead." She reached a hand across the gap to hold his quickly and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I would do anything for a friend." The gentle giant eased again when she mentioned 'friend'. That's all this was when he thought about it. Yes, he had asked her if she wanted to do this, she said yes, but he had told her that he was aromantic and she seemed to understand the connotation behind it. Then again, she did say she did 'kind of' like him. It was very confusing for him and, even with his calm and stoic persona, overwhelming. The calm he was experiencing dissipated just as suddenly as it had appeared, and he grew more uneasy. "Yatsu, let's get out of here. You're not okay with this, so we'll leave."

"Jade, I am fine. I just need-"

"To leave," she interrupted, "because you are sweating bullets, clearly out of your comfort zone and would much rather be anywhere else but here." She went to stand but he held her hand tighter.

"Please, do not make a fool out of yourself. I just need to calm down a little. I realise it is a silly thing to get worked up over, so I shall take five minutes in the bathroom to compose myself and then we can resume as we would do normally." She shifted her weight back so that she was sat properly on the chair before he let go of her hand and went to get himself cleaned up in the bathroom. It was tough watching him walk there, it was a far cry from the person she spoke to this morning.

 _Wow,_ she thought to herself suddenly, _was it really only this morning?_ She thought back, just to see if her senses were playing up on her. Nope, she had only met him this morning. Thinking about it like that, it was clear why he may be acting the way he was - they've barely known each other for 24 hours. She guiltily sipped her fizzy apple drink, hoping he'd get back soon so that she could apologise to him.

Cold water splashed on the face of the giant, some of it getting on his shirt collar. That most certainly helped with a large amount of the worry he had, but that didn't rid him of it completely.

"What is the big deal Yatsu?" he chastised to himself in the mirror, staring at his reflection with anger at his current predicament, "why are you letting this get to you so much? You are having a meal with a new friend. That is all."

 _But she likes you, she said that herself,_ he argued in his head.

"Even so, she _also_ said that she was fine and accepted the fact we don't date."

_And you think she'll stay true to her word?_

"She had not shown any signs of going against her word. Besides, I trust her." His inner voice remained quiet for a while, his brain clearly not ready for that response. When it came back, it responded with;

 _Then let's get back out there then._ He used the towels in the bathroom to dry his face, then he left the room and headed back to the table to see Jade still sitting there (thank Oum) but looking very much guilty.

"Lien for your thoughts?" he asked, causing her to jump at the unexpected question from behind.

"Jeez, you frightened me half to death Yatsu!" A small smile grew on his face.

"Whilst I promise I will not do that again and that I did not mean to make you jump this time, I cannot deny the fact that it was rather funny to watch."

With crossed arms and a sarcastic tone, Jade muttered a simple "Oh, ha ha" before stealing another sideways glance at him and her face started smiling instinctively. He smiled back and sat down opposite her. "I take it you are feeling better then Yatsu?"

"Much better, yes. I simply needed to set my mind at ease about the situation."

"What about it?"

"Oh," was the only word he said - his brain wasn't ready for that question clearly. Given another few seconds to think on it, he answered properly. "I know you mentioned how you, quote 'Kind of like me', and I was still having that thought swirling around in my head. You said how it didn't matter that I wasn't against relationships but didn't really feel any romantic attraction, and although I did accept that there is still that doubt."

"Yatsu, you know how I feel about this, but I will say it again and again as many times as I need to until it sticks," she reached across the table again and placed her hand on his, "yes, I like you, no kind of about it. You are a very attractive young man. I'd be more than happy to have someone like you as a friend. When you said you were aromantic, I must admit afterwards I did look it up to see _exactly_ what it meant. Learning about it and how people can experience little to no romantic attraction but still feel things like platonic and paternal love was interesting, and I was honestly going to ask you where you fell there, but you had already told me, so that would be a little redundant. So, I am fine with that. Having you as a partner, as a friend, I don't really care that much anymore having learnt about it now, I would just like to have you in my life - you're too good of a person to me and for me to lose." She giggled ever so slightly as the waiter approached, removing her hand to cover her mouth. "Sorry if that sounded a little possessive near the end, but I think it's true. With my Aura and semblance and all that, I wouldn't have it unlocked if it wasn't for you."

"Jade, it is fine." The waiter interrupted the flow slightly asking for their food choices. Yatsuhashi ordered the beef and Jade had their crab dish, then as the waiter left he resumed from where he left off. "The fact you were honest enough to admit that to me takes a lot of guts. It took me until after the turn of the new year in my first year or Beacon to tell my teammates, but it was one heck of a weight off my shoulders once I did. And that was with Coco Adel flirting with me at every possible opportunity she could." Jade blushed slightly and felt herself getting slightly giddy at the name.

"I still can't believe Coco Adel's your team leader," she admitted through an ever strengthening blush, "that must be so cool."

"It took me a while to come down from the high I was on but yes, I admit it is incredibly cool. What most people forget is that no one is assigned leadership based on status alone. Coco was assigned leader because when the time came, she fell naturally into the role. The year below us probably has the best example; Weiss Schnee attends Beacon but is not the leader of the team."

"Schnee?" It took Jade a few seconds to put two and two together. "Oh, Schnee. As in, 'Schnee Dust Company' Schnee?" He nodded. "Wow, yeah, that's proof enough." She slumped back in her chair a little to let everything sink in, a grin growing on her face. " _Still_ can't believe Coco Adel's on your team, much less your leader."

"Is someone fangirling over there?"

She shrugged. "I don't care, you're not in charge of me. I can fangirl over whoever I like." She glanced at him and shot him a wicked smile, not caring how childish she looked, despite being roughly 3 years older than him, not that you could tell by height.

"That you can. What I did want to say was that I am happy I make you happy, and I wanted to formally extend that offer of a relationship with you." On that, she shot back upright, eyes glimmering once again.

"Really?! You'd do that?"

"Of course," he smiled, "I think we could do something about us. There will be a lot we'd need to work out though, I had come to a mentality that I would remain single for the rest of my life, so this is something I wasn't expecting, but I believe that if we take it slow we can get through this." Her smile continued to grow, and he was pretty sure he saw a tear start to form. Upon wiping her eye, his assumptions were proven correct. "You know, you never actually gave an answer, you just sat there grinning."

"Oops, sorry." She sat up straight and cleared her throat before speaking. "Yes, I accept. I will be your... your, um... what would I-"

"Partner. It's the most gender neutral and basically undisputed term for us." With a nod, she finished her acceptance; a little too formal for Yatsuhashi's taste, but she'd said yes so... Win-Win. He raised his glass of sparkling water, she got the right idea and raised her apple juice. "To partners."

"To partners." They both took a drink, smiling all the while.

"If it is all the same to you, I say we keep things a little slow. There is a lot that needs to be discussed about us, what each of us is and isn't comfortable with doing or the other person doing, etc. Sorry to spring that on you afterwards, but with someone like me I would much rather we say outright now rather than awkwardly find out later."

She reached her hand across the table once more and rested her hand on his. "That sounds perfect, I say we do that as soon as you can manage; I know you're here for work purposes, technically, so I'm fine knowing I'm second priority."

"I wouldn't exactly put it like that, but I appreciate your understanding nonetheless. If it's alright though, I'd like to lay a couple of rules down now."

"Fire away big guy."

"Well, first off," he started grinning to himself as he looked down at his hand and hers on top of it, "I don't like people touching my hands." Her smaller digits flew off his before her brain even caught up.

"Hey, wait a minute..."

"I'm sorry," he grinned again, "I couldn't resist. But, contrary to what I just said, hand touching is fine with me. As is hugs and cuddles - I've been told I'm good for cuddles."

"I imagine you are," she replied. Unbeknownst to them, more time had passed than they had thought as the waiter appeared with two plates, one carrying Yatsuhashi's beef wellington and the other carrying Jade's crab dish.

"Enjoy your meals." The pair of them tucked straight in, with Yatsuhashi being a little more ravenous than Jade because he hadn't eaten anything properly since before he set out mid-morning to take out the Grimm nests. They filled some of their silences with general small talk, but other times they were very much content with sitting there listening to the ambience of the restaurant.

"So, Jade, why here specifically?" he asked, breaking their silence as the plates were taken away.

"Huh?"

"Sorry if that bothers you, I was honestly content with the silence, but we have known each other for less than 24 hours and we have already agreed to be each other's partner." Saying it out loud, the idea sounded rather preposterous. Then again, Fox and Neo started dating in an equally short amount of time, but Yatsuhashi did remind himself that their situation was far different from what his is right now. "I just thought I would ask."

Despite being initially hesitant to answer, evident by her dropped expression, Jade responded with a simple "what did you want to know about it?" Thinking on it as the words left her mouth, that was probably a bad call in terms of what to say.

Clearly, he didn't think so. "There was no hesitation on coming here when I asked if there was anywhere to go, so I assumed that there must be some sort of connection for you." Her expression dropped even further at his realisation of this, and immediately he skirted away from the topic. "If you do not wish to tell me, then we can move-"

"No, no it's fine, just- just not right here, not right now. Is that alright?"

He smiled a reassuring smile. "That sounds good to me." He stole a brief glance over the green girl's shoulder and spotted their waiter returning with two new plates in his hand. "But do you know what sounds even better?" She cocked her head and was about to turn to see what he could, only for their plates to be placed down in front of them. "Dessert."

* * *

**~-OMAKE-~**

The room that Coco and Velvet were in was eerily quiet. As per the ground rules that Team CFVYN agreed on when they arrived, either one of the couples could "book" the room for an evening so that the other couple could go and do something in the resort whilst the booking pair could do each other in the resort.

Tonight, however, things weren't as they seemed.

"I can't believe we're doing this..."

"How come?" Velvet replied, her voice giving off an element of hurt at her Mate's comment.

The beret toting woman, who was currently wearing neither it nor her beret _and_ had her hair flowing with a slight wild nature as opposed to its everyday defined look, shrugged with uncertainty. "It's just..." she sighed, giving her mind a precious couple of seconds to piece together the words she planned on saying, "how long have we been together Velvs?"

"As a couple, I'd say coming up 2 and a half years."

"Yeah, and we've hardly done this in all that time." To calm her mind and ready herself, Coco found some solace in limbering up, deliberately facing away from Velvet. The Faunus smirked at the very odd behaviour of her partner.

"Coco Adel, are you nervous?"

"Of course I'm nervous!" she snapped back.

"But you did this with Blake and Yang back in our Second Year, remember? I thought you'd be fine with this."

Coco craned her neck to glance at the Rabbit behind her as she reached for the device. "That was then, this is now." Velvet tightened the strap, pulling the cord taut so that it would snap against her skin causing Coco to jump like... well, like Velvet would have done before. "Could you please stop with the teasing and let's get this over with." Velvet relented and pressed the button on the device. As it started up, she playfully smacked Coco's bum.

"Are you ready for this Coco?" she asked as she gripped her device tighter.

 _As ready as I'll ever be,_ she thought to herself, the thoughts conveyed as only a simple bob of the head as she lowered her stance, ready to take the punishment that was coming. After about 10 seconds of nothing, a new voice filled the room.

_*DANCERS, READY?*_

Coco audibly gulped as she glanced over at Velvet. The Faunus had grown up in a household with her eldest sister, who loved dancing and was a full-time performer now, so she had been dancing since she was young and videogames like the "Wish to Boogie" Series were naturally her forte. As much as she would love to lie and say she could, Coco couldn't dance at all. She was always nervous with these games, because it was literally playing with one of the very few things she would have happily avoided. Why did Velvet have to book their room to play a dance video game?

"I'm gonna whoop your ass, Coco" she taunted as the music started.

 _If only..._ the fashionista lamented as they struck the first pose.


	23. Not the sort of Proposal I Had in Mind

Fox woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than he ever had before in his life. Juno had taken him and Neo to get Jin Shin Jyutsu, something they both openly admitted that neither had heard of before, but they wished they had heard of it before. It utilised the location of "Safety Energy Locks", as the pair of them were told these points were called, to allow their Aura to flow through their body much more naturally, rather than having it clogging at points and letting negativity in life hold them back.

Juno did admit to them that this sort of thing is usually for people dealing with things like stress or sleeplessness, but considering the pair of them were future Huntsmen, she believed it would definitely help them in the future. Waking up as he did, Fox could categorically say that the treatment worked wonders - he hadn't felt this relaxed and seemingly stress free in years.

Fox looked over his shoulder to see his girlfriend sleeping peacefully beside him, a genuine smile plastered all over her face. With a smile of his own growing, he leaned over and kissed just above her temple. ~ _Good morning, my dear._ ~

~ _Morning Fox,_ ~ she replied, already sounding completely awake. He felt ever so slightly envious, her voice never sounded tired or exhausted. But then again, he needed to remember that she never had a voice as such for him to hear. Plus, her voice may sound like she'd been awake for hours, but her body didn't respond in the same way. She tried easing herself up slightly, but her arms were so relaxed after their session that they gave way without a moment's hesitation straight from under her. ~ _Oh, I don't want to get up._ ~

~ _I know exactly what you mean,_ ~ he replied, scooting over and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She responded by cuddling closer to him, resting her head on his scarred chest, ~ _my body just feels so different now._ ~

~ _Sex doesn't even feel this good afterwards!_ ~ She flinched at her words slightly and glanced up at Fox, ~ _um, no offense._ ~

~ _I'm not going to take offense to something I agree on. Don't get me wrong, it's still as great as ever, but I feel more exhausted then relaxed afterwards._ ~ She smiled again and returned to relaxing on his chest, deciding to silently agree with him. They stayed like that for a long while, breathing in sync and letting their bodies wake up completely in its own time. They did leave a note on the other couple's bedside table and on Yatsuhashi's pillow saying how they were told to "let their bodies wake up naturally this morning" and as such they will most likely be starting their work a little later today.

~ _Fox?_ ~ Neo asked after 20 minutes or so, her eyes still shut but her body near enough ready to get out and go.

"Yeah?" he whispered, not wanting to speak any louder than that at present.

~ _Have you put any more consideration into marriage?_ ~ The question was a little bit out of the blue in context, but the topic had been discussed between the pair of them before.

"I'm not objecting to the subject matter, but I must ask what brought this on."

~ _If I say it was the Jin Shin Jyutsu, would you believe me?_ ~

"Not really."

~ _Fuck._ ~

"Don't worry about it Neo, I'm sure the actual reason would convince me more." She silently sighed and opened her eyes, shifting herself up his body so that their heads were lying next to each other's on the pillow.

~ _I have been thinking about it a lot more recently, giving how our final year has started. I'm going to be 28 by the time graduation comes rolling around and, honestly, the thought scares me. It's why I simultaneously love and hate Ruby - she's 10 years younger than me! The fact that there's such an age gap between us made me realise that time is ticking on. I don't want to rush you - we did_ _ **plenty**_ _of that when we first started dating-_ ~

"Hey, I wasn't complaining about that."

~ _I know you weren't,_ ~ she teased, a slight blush coming to her cheek at the mention of it, ~ _I sure as hell wasn't either. What with not having any action since I'd hooked up with Maggie the day after we'd come back from death and a lot of times missed between us, that first time was just as special for me as it was for you, even if you were the only one who lost their virginity then._ ~

~ _Honestly, your experience made it easier and less awkward for me,_ ~ the copper haired boy admitted, speaking in his head so to not let his not-in-the-room-but-could-potentially-walk-in-at-any-second teammates hear.

~ _Glad to know that. But I digress, even though we rushed at the start, we've stayed strong together. I remember Velvet, bless her, having her doubts after we got back from seeing my family, wondering if once the wish had worn off we'd grow apart. Never happened, did it?_ ~

"Nope, we're just a couple of hard-asses!"

~ _Hey, my ass is anything_ _ **but**_ _hard! I recall you describing it as "what you imagine a pillow of clouds feels like"._ ~ Fox visibly flushed in shame, quite a feat considering his dark and scarred complexion, bringing a smirk to Neo's face. ~ _If you were lying to me, which you better prey you aren't, then you really seem to like it a lot despite its "hardness"._ ~

"I was referring to us as a whole, not our literal hard asses."

~ _Ooh..._ ~ came her obviously sarcastic reply of false misunderstood. ~ _But anyway, honeymoon period wore off and we were... are, still going strong. And I personally feel like I'm ready to go on with the relationship; get married, that sort of thing. But it's a two person thing, I can't just rock up one morning in the dorm in a wedding gown and say, "get up loser, it's time to wed me", it needs planning on both our parts._ ~

"Not going to beat around the bush, I wouldn't put it past you to do that sort of thing." There was a pause after Fox spoke before Neo contributed to the conversation once more.

~ _Okay, I_ _ **may**_ _do that, but only if you take to fucking long to propose to my ass!_ ~

"I can do that now if you want," he commented slyly.

~ _Wait, what do you-_ ~ but she was cut off by Fox shifting his weight picking up Neo and getting her kneeling facing away from him on the bed.

"Neo's ass, will you marry me?" He couldn't keep a straight for long and the laughter came before the sound of his words had dissipated into the void. His laughter was suddenly muffled as the butt he proposed to declined, and the woman the butt was attached to was noticeably angry at him, jumping from her position to squash his face with said bum.

~ _You will apologise or so help I will suffocate you with my ass cheeks!_ ~

~ _Is that supposed to be a threat?_ ~ he thought, speaking being an impossibility at this moment.

~ _Apologise!_ ~

~ _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just remove your ass from my face please. Or your night shorts, either or really - I'm getting mixed signals._ ~ She sat down harder on his face. ~ _Sorry again, sorry again!_ ~ She relented eventually, but not before he had nearly passed out from lack of oxygen.

~ _Do not play with my feelings like that Fox,_ ~ she demanded, staring right at him with a look of steely determination, ~ _or Oum help me I will skewer you with a flag pole and feed you to the next Grimm we fight like a fucking kebab._ ~

Holding his hands up in fear, he squeaked out a terrified, "Don't piss you off again, don't play with your feelings on this matter; got it." Her look faded to one of exhaustion and she rested her head in her hands, Fox noticing her eyes both turning brown and tearing up before they were completely covered. "Neo? Are you okay hun?" The hiccups told him "no" before her head could shake to tell him. He shifted himself and hugged her close, letting her silently cry into his chest. "Shh, it's okay Ni. I'm never going to do that again, I promise. I was so far in the wrong, you had every right to be mad at me."

~ _You're damn right I do,_ ~ she said, her thoughts perfectly lining up to her sniffling, ~ _this means a lot to me Fox, and I am not going to let it be the subject of petty jokes at it or my expense!_ ~ Fox recoiled ever so slightly at the harshness of her words. Sure, they've had their rows over the years, some of them fairly heated - he still had the scar from one right across his lower back to prove it - but they always came out the other end. This time though, her words had more impact than they ever did during the arguments.

"Neo..." the ice cream girl looked up at her boyfriend, genuine concern on his face, "that's not the only reason, is it?" The second those words left his mouth, Neo's lip started trembling again and the tears returned. Not only did the tears return, but Coco, Velvet and Yatsuhashi thought that now would be a god time to return.

"Hey guys, we're-" Coco stopped when she saw Neo crying into Fox's chest. Fox mumbled an inaudible "Not now Coco..." the second he saw the teasing grin start to form on the fashionista's face. "What did you do to her this-"

"I said not now Coco!" he shouted back, hugging Neo protectively closer and frightening Velvet into jumping into Coco's embrace at the same time. Everyone in the doorway was in shock, their leader most of all. She'd been with her team long enough to know what she could and couldn't get away with and everyone wasn't fazed by a little bit of light team banter, but to see Fox not even tolerate a single comment - heck, not even a full comment, he cut her off before she got the chance to finish - then she knew that it was something very serious.

"Alone, or company?" she asked, a little scared herself of how volatile the scarred boy was at the moment. He looked down at his girlfriend, wanting her say on the matter; she _was_ the one who was needing the space. She answered him, still hugging close to him.

"Thanks Ni," he replied gently, giving her forehead a brief kiss. "She said she'd like us to have some privacy. You'll know about this soon enough, but for now, she wants this to stay between the pair of us." Coco's feel melted and a soft smile came through.

"That makes sense. Velvs and I will just grab our stuff and get ready in Yatsu's room, alright?" He nodded, giving the young women a chance to collect their belongings. They did just that, grabbing their combat outfits for the day along with some basic washing things. Before they left though, Velvet ran up and caught the pair in a hug.

"You'll make it through whatever it is you've got going on, I know it. You're a strong couple."

"...Neo says, 'thanks Velvet'." The Rabbit briefly giggled, then bounded off them and made her way to the door with Yatsuhashi, who waited patiently there for them. The Rabbit took the key from him, wanting to get in the shower pronto so that the least amount of time was wasted. When Coco had collected her stuff, she rested it all on the edge of the empty bed and made her way over to sit next to the couple on the other bed. "Hey Coco."

"Listen," she began, assertiveness and tenderness coming across in her voice, "take as long as you need to. One of us will pop our heads in in about half an hour or so, if you're not up to coming with us then we'll head out without you - just so that we can cover some ground, make some progress, that sort of thing; at the very least we'll scout the land and see what we'd be up against with the remaining nests, maybe even take a couple out if they're small enough. I don't want you out there when you are not in the right frame of mind. You matter to us all." Fox smiled a silent thanks, then glanced down at Neo, who was still sniffling slightly but refused to remove her face from Fox's chest. Coco reached and grabbed a hold of Neo's chin gently and waited for the mute to respond accordingly and turn her head. When she did, Coco placed a comforting kiss on the older woman's lips. Tear strained heterochromatic eyes flipped to pink and a ghost of a smile came across the tri coloured girl's face as she opened her eyes from the brief kiss. "Glad I got you smiling again." Neo started blushing, the colour creeping up very slowly but noticeably, a curse on her emotions, making her so easy to read because of her pallor.

"Coco, no stealing my girlfriend, you have your own," Fox warned, the banter restarting after the mood was lifted.

"No promises." She winked and walked out the door, _very_ deliberately swaying her hips with every step. As the door clicked shut and silence returned, Neo glanced down, smiled an evil smile and spoke first.

~ _Down boy._ ~

"What are you-" he glanced down and felt what she had noticed, then promptly tried to cover it up. "Sorry!"

~ _Nothing I haven't seen before. But I must ask, why?_ ~

"It was hot, alright?!" he responded in a panic. "Coco Adel kissing my equally bombshell of a girlfriend inches from my own face was hot."

~ _Yeah it was,_ ~ the woman admitted, glancing down once again.

"Stop it. My body is agreeing with what you're saying, but my mind is wondering whether it should be confused or aroused right now."

~ _Aroused sounds like the more fun option,_ ~ Neo openly admitted.

"And anyway," he said, bringing the conversation back to where it was before their teammates walked in, "you still have a little explaining to do." The mute sighed and shifted her weight to that it would be more comfortable for Fox, considering neither knew how long they'd be here for.

~ _I do, don't I? So, where were we?_ ~

"Your reasoning."

~ _Right..._ ~ Try as she might, Fox knew she was stalling, she always did that when it was a subject she was nervous about, so didn't entertain any of her attempts of diverting the conversation. After no more than two minutes of trying to change the subject passed, she knew she had lost and got on with it. ~ _The first time we went to see my parents, do you remember that?_ ~

"Neo," he warned.

~ _No, no this is relevant, I promise._ ~ His lips curled upwards with a sigh, but he wasn't frustrated. Far from it, it was comforting to know she wasn't feeling as nervous about it anymore.

"Yeah, I remember it. I beat your brother in a friendly spar, despite him being about 10 years older and more experienced than me." The pride that came through in his voice when he said that was very clear and Neo couldn't help but silently giggle at it.

~ _He still both hates and respects you for that, especially considering you were blind the week before that._ ~ He held his head higher hearing that. ~ _But that wasn't it. Do you remember when L-_ ~ She stopped herself.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

~ _When... when Uncle Lang di- passed on..._ ~ it had been some time, but the death was still raw on her mind and speaking about it was still pretty hard, to the point where she outright refused to say 'died' in the same sentence as him.

"How could I forget?"

~ _He gave us his blessing to marry that day. It meant the world to me to know that he approved of you, and it still does to this day. I remember we talked about marriage and how you said that you could already see us spending the rest of our lives together. No offence Fox, but that was a long time ago._ ~

A metaphorical lightbulb came on in Fox's head and he put the pieces together. "I think I can see where this is going."

~ _Despite the conversation we had back then, nothing came of it at all. Now I know, we both wanted to put it off until after we've graduated,_ _ **in 9 months**_ _..._ ~

"Subtle."

~ _Wasn't trying to be,_ ~ she shot back. ~ _Anyway, you said you were fine with it back then. Are you still now?_ ~ The copper eyed boy looked her in the eyes and smiled the sincerest smile he could muster.

"Orchid, nothing would make me happier than for you to be my wife." The shock use of her birth name genuinely made her eyes jump to vanilla white for a few seconds, but they were quickly replaced with strawberry pink. "I know how much this mission means to you for our friends in HLQN, so we will do this right and get everything cleared so that this can be put to bed. Once we are done and we get paid, you and I are going shopping. We are going to go and get rings measured for each other and we are going to get them as soon as we can. I think we've waited long enough and I can kind of see where you were going with this."

~ _That's..._ ~ truly lost for words, Neo could think of nothing to do to express how she felt right now. She let reality catch her back up and she smiled. ~ _Thank you, Fox. That was exactly what I wanted._ ~ Despite her jubilation, she wouldn't make eye contact, but Fox didn't need to pry because she explained herself immediately. ~ _I felt that I was wasting Uncle Lang's blessing. Having it sitting around on the proverbial shelf collecting proverbial dust made me feel bad, especially as it was one of the last things I heard him say. I just... I want it to be right, for him, and I know that everything is going to be fine._ ~

"Uncle Lang would be proud of you for taking this step; he was proud of you in life and he would be now, even if he is not here in the flesh." Her lips curled upwards again, even as a tear fell from her eye. "So, when were you thinking?"

~ _When was I thinking what?_ ~

"Wedding date. I would have thought that would have been on the plan." She playfully smacked his arm. He knew it was playful because it only hurt for a minute - had it been deliberate he knew that was function in that arm gone for the rest of the day.

~ ** _I_** _am not planning the wedding._ _ **You**_ _aren't either._ _ **We**_ _are planning the wedding,_ _ **together**_ _. Once we have a basic plan, then we involve the other three to help refine and come up with back up ideas, Oum knows if we'll need those backups but I'd rather be sure. Then we'll get everything sourced for things like date and venue and-_ ~

"Neo," he interrupted, breaking her streak, "you've planned the plan. I think that's fantastic, and that's all we'll need for now. We haven't even got rings on each other's fingers, just a promise that it will happen. So, what's that: promise of marriage, getting the ring, putting rings on fingers, planning the wedding - that's three steps ahead of where you need to be. If we keep that, maybe even drop it to two steps ahead, then we'll be fine and set." The mute nodded, happy with the proposed plan.

~ _Thank you, Fox,_ ~ she said kissing his lips, ~ _thank you so much. You do not know what a weight off my mind this has been._ ~

"I'm glad I made you a lot happier now. Also, sorry for earlier again - not just what I said, but the fact we probably undid all of the Jin Shin Jyutsu we did yesterday with all the stress I put you through."

~ _Eh, I'll take being a little stressed if it means we have a plan sorted._ ~

"I can get behind that."

~ _You normally do anyway._ ~ Fox's face dropped instantly.

"We were having a moment Neo!"

~ _We were having a moment earlier too, and you decided you wanted to literally propose to my ass!_ ~

"...Touché."


	24. Future Plans

Velvet was the first of the three to be completely ready for the day, so she offered to go in and check on Fox and Neo before they headed off. When she knocked on the door before she entered, she was surprised that someone answered it.

"Oh, hi Neo."

{" _Hiya Velvet._ "} The mute stared at the mage, who was currently looking at her like a Deer Faunus in headlights, for a few seconds before cocking her head to one side and clapping once to break her out of her trance. {" _You spaced out for a second Velv, are you okay?_ "}

"Oh, sorry. I am fine, thank you, but that's only because I wasn't expecting you to be up and about after earlier." Neo shrugged that all off and replied, dropping her Scroll onto the nearest bed as she invited Velvet in quickly - as it was someone she knew could understand Sign Language, she didn't need her Scroll.

{" _We were just discussing some things that were fairly personal, especially for me, but we've moved on from that and we're all set now._ "}

"Great! Can I ask what it was all about, or would you rather not?" Neo's expression fell to a line as she weighed up her options. It's true, she and Fox did discuss whether they should tell their teammates about their plans first, then officially ask them to help afterwards, or to spring the surprise proposal on them and then ask them officially straight after as a good One-Two combo, but they were expecting to tell them much later if anything. She knew that talking to Fox in the shower wouldn't be difficult, but she didn't really want to interrupt him or invade his thoughts. She made her mind up there and then that the team wouldn't know everything until they were both ready to tell, but she would hint at what it might be.

{" _I'm not going to tell you everything - that's for another day - but I can tell you that we were planning on what we were going to spend our reward for completing the mission on._ "} A querying eyebrow raised and something in the back of Neo's head started screaming. _Has she figured it out already?! Did I say too much? I think I did. That's not good, that is **really** not good!_

"Well," the Faunus began, breaking Neo out of her internal screams, "I'm glad that whatever things you were planning have been solved and that you're both happier now. Can I assume you'll be coming with us?"

{" _Yeah, we'll just need a little more time to get ready if that's alright._ "} The mage simply smiled and nodded, then walked out and returned to the other room to tell the rest of them. The first door clicked shut and Neo sighed in equal parts relief and terror. _There was no way she didn't suss it out, Velvet's too smart to let something like that go over her head._

**~000~**

"Hey Velvs," Coco said as her Mate walked through the second door, her own hair wrapped in a towel and still a little wet from the shower, "how are they fee-"

Once this door clicked shut, Velvet spun round and jumped straight to Coco, pulling her close to whisper in her ear. "They were talking about marriage last night, I know it."

"Holy shi-!" Velvet forcefully clamped her hands over her Mate's mouth in a panic that the couple next door would hear her, not caring if it hurt the fashionista. "Ow..." she moaned, her pained cry muffled by fingers.

"Your fault for shouting," the Faunus replied in a harsh whisper, removing her hands from Coco's mouth, "but yeah, discussing things on their own, 'very personal stuff', and talk of how they're going to be spending our reward money; it can't really be anything else."

"That's so adorable," Coco responded in a whisper, finally taking the hint that they needed to be quiet about this all, "but why would they want to keep it a secret? We're a team and we'll support them no matter what, they know that."

"I know they do, but we can't it spring on them _as if_ they have told us, we wait for them to _actually_ tell us. As it stands now, what we have done is I've taken an educated guess on their discussion topic."

"That is true." Coco moved away and started getting ready for the day, but still keeping her hair in the towel wrapped around her head. "Hey, have you thought about us doing that?"

"What, marriage?"

"Yeah. I mean, what would we do?"

"Well, I spoke to Blake about it in the latter weeks of summer vacation, and she mentioned again how there are three different stages of Mate's Marks. The first stage is temporary, the second is permanent but not final. The third stage, she says, is rarely done but it's the completion of everything the Mark stands for. Third stage Mate's Marks are essentially the Faunus equivalent of marriage without the ceremony, so if we did want to go through with doing that, we could essentially be married." The pregnant pause was felt by both women in the room as thoughts flew around heads and hundreds of miles an hour.

"So... we could get married by simply completing the Mark to its third stage?"

Velvet scratched the back of her head in uncertainty, "I mean, I don't think it's going to be as easy as either of us make it out to be, but we'll need to speak to Blake or one of the nurses back at Beacon on the matter - Blake seems to be the expert on this sort of thing. We can't rush this."

"I know... but what if I wanted to do things properly? Like, human properly?"

"What, as in ceremony, white gown, bride and groom, vows, What-Fox-and-Neo-are-most-likely-planning type properly?"

"Yeah."

"I-I'm... not too sure. I don't think we'd even need to be if we're Marked like that, in most places I believe she said it classes as an official pairing."

"Oh." The unease in the room grew slightly as the conversation hit a slight dead end. "What if we do something a little unorthodox?"

"'You' and 'unorthodox' don't mix well Coco, no offense."

"Here me out. So, we go all the way to stage three and get 'Mark Married', right?"

"Please don't call it that," Velvet groaned.

"I'm trying to make a point here. So, we're married on Faunus terms and technically legally married as well. So, instead of the full human ceremony, we just get each other rings? We may be married already by that point, but I'd want something to show everyone else that we're together rather than relying on the Mark, which whilst it is incredibly cool, for the most part _is_ covered up, so you can see my dilemma here."

"I do, yeah," a smile grew on Velvet's face, "but I don't care. That is a perfect idea! We don't even have to have a full ceremony all to ourselves; if we plan it right with the two next door, we can highjack the proceedings for some time just so that there's an official overseeing the handing out of the rings." Coco's face lit up as well as Velvet seemed on board with the idea, crossing the gap between them and wrapping her in a hug. "Gods, I love you Coco."

"And I love you Velvet." She kissed the Faunus between the ears, causing the shorter girl to crumple in sheer bliss, "I love you so much." They stayed there for a few seconds before realisation crossed her mind. "Y'know, if we complete our Marks and wait until those two get married," she nodded her head to the wall that separated the two rooms, "they might not tie the knot for a long time. It's a long time without rings."

"Coco, I don't give a damn. I'll be yours and you will be mine."

"And our children will be beautiful" the fashionista finished without a single hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah, they will, they'll take on my head-turning good looks and your unwavering loyalty and charm." Coco recoiled in hurt at her Mate's words.

"Ouch! What about _my_ head-turning good looks?"

The Faunus smirked. "You're alright, I guess." They couldn't keep it up for long and soon they were both giggling piles of mess on the floor, a sight that greatly confused Yatsuhashi as he exited the bathroom.

* * *

Team CFVYN were walking through the outer grounds of the resort at around mid-afternoon. They'd managed to all leave the resort in equally good moods and, even after taking care of one of the nests on today's patrols, they were generally just as calm and relaxed as they were when they left for the day just 3 hours prior.

Velvet was on navigator duty today as the nest they were trying to find now was in a secluded spot of dense woodland that only she could pinpoint with her acute hearing. Yatsuhashi was close by her side to offer help with directions, but also as a means of defending her should anything jump out suddenly and she didn't have the time to defend herself. Coco took the middle position in the group, surrounded by her team so that she could keep an eye on everyone equally, which left Neo and Fox bringing up the rear, checking for anything that would try a sneak attack.

~ _Fox, I think Velvet knows about the plan._ ~

"What?" ~ _How? We haven't told anyone yet._ ~

~ _Yeah, about that... when she came in to check on us and see if we were coming along for the day, I said in the vaguest possible way I could that we were talking about what we'd buy with our reward money.~_

~ _How could she have figured it out from that?~_

Neo just looked at Fox, partially frustrated at him, partially guilty for leading them to this predicament - her need to tease in that one moment could have cost them the element of surprise. ~ _Fox, Velvet is by and large the brightest out of all five of us. She's very good at piecing small bits of information together to get the full picture, I'm pretty sure a few badly chosen words on my part is going to get her grey matter working out what's going on in no time._ ~

~ _Shit..._ ~ the pair glanced forward, looking at the Faunus in question, then her partner and her current bodyguard, if that's what you'd call him. ~ _Should we just up and tell them then? Save the pretences and just get it over with?_ ~

~ _If I'm totally honest with you, I want to say, "We are **not** telling them now!" But what other options do we have? We tell them now, we tell them later, at the end of the day they're still going to find out. If we get it over and done with, we can stop worrying about them knowing._~ Her breath grew a little heavier as the thoughts just got a whole new meaning behind them. ' _We need to tell our team we plan on marriage._ ' Fox agreed with her, the others were going to be told eventually, there was no way they wouldn't be told. Admittedly, they had planned on taking the whole team out one day and Fox proposing to Neo in their presence, then asking them to help at the same time, but this would achieve the same results, just with less show. Fox linked hands with his girlfriend as she teleported the pair of them directly in front of Velvet and Yatsuhashi, frightening the poor girl and putting the swordsman on edge.

"Sorry Yatsu," he looked at the Faunus as well, who had just recovered from her mild heart attack having two people appearing directly in her face, "and Velvet."

"Any particular reason you did that Neo?" Coco asked, her voice agitated somewhat at hearing her Mate scream suddenly only to see two of her teammates as the cause for it.

{" _We need to tell you something, and we thought I'd be best if we did it now instead of letting it go unchecked for ages._ "}

The fashionista sighed, "alright, but it better be a darn good explanation." As the five of them stopped, Coco, Yatsuhashi and Velvet all standing opposite Neo and Fox, a slight breeze made its way through the leaves, sending a small but noticeable chill down the small women's spines.

"We, myself and Neo, had spoken about this before a couple of times in private back in the first couple of months of dating. Back then, we knew what we still do now, but we had decided to put it off until later in our lives when it became more appropriate. The conversation topic resurfaced early this morning and we decided that now would be the best time to kick that whole thing into motion." He reached out and interlocked his fingers with Neo's once more, the comfort and confidence that gave him spurring him on to finish the explanation. "The pair of us have decided that, after graduation, we are going to get married."

Coco smirked upon hearing that news, but it wasn't a sinister smirk. It was an approving smirk combined with a 'well damn, looks like you hit the nail on the head Velvet' smirk. Yatsuhashi smiled genuinely. Velvet was a lot less subtle; she squealed and rushed in to hug the pair.

"Oh my gosh, that's wonderful you two!"

"Thanks Velvet," he responded, returning the hug, "but there's more."

"There is?" On realising that, she backed away, her face glowing red from embarrassment at jumping the gun slightly.

{" _I told you earlier that we were discussing what we were going to get with our reward money, right?_ "} The Faunus nodded, connecting the dots but not quite reaching the conclusion when Neo started signing again. {" _Well, we were discussing that we'd spend this reward money on rings for each other, both engagement and wedding._ "} Velvet started squealing again but the mute just held her hand up, telling her that there was still more, so the squeal remained bottled up once more. {" _As much as I think we'd manage, we can't do this all alone. So, we'd like to ask you if you would help us plan our wedding._ "} All three of their eyes lit up with excitement and joy, but no one did anything other than looked pleased.

"That was everything this time Velvet, you can- oof!" He didn't get to finish as the Rabbit threw herself at him, tackling him to the ground.

"Fox, that's wonderful! It is truly, truly wonderful!" She couldn't help but squeal some more as her legs kept flopping about in excitement.

{" _I thought you had the whole 'tackling other people's partner to the ground' thing all sorted out by now,_ "} Neo sarcastically signed to Coco.

"I'm still working on it." Coco's smirk turned to a full on smile. "But enough about me, come here you!" She held out her arms and Neo dashed into them. "Congratulations Neo!" She kissed her briefly on the lips. "I'm proud of you Shortcake." Neo blushed at the nickname, it was Coco's for her, much like Ni was Fox's. "But we can't have you stealing all the spotlight. Come on cottontail." Velvet jumped off Fox and made her way back to Coco, the couple linking hands just as the other pair did.

"Coco? What're you two doing?"

"Shush and you'll find out. So, Detective Velvet here cracked your case earlier."

 _I knew it!_ Neo cursed herself for being too playful at times, her teasing gave the game away.

"And from that conversation, we had our own. We decided that we wanted to finish our Mate's Marks and take them to the third stage they can go to. In most places, such an act is essentially marriage. But I wanted to have some visible recognition and have some official feeling to it so, if you two are okay with it, we'd like to exchange our rings at your wedding. That way, we only need to pay for one lot of everything, but it'll be your day. We'd be Mated for Life before that, but to have a Team CFVYN wedding day would be the best. What d'you say to that?"

"As if we'd say anything but yes Coco." The remaining three members all approached and hugged the female couple, happy for their choices and decisions. Velvet looked up at her teammate, who had shown praise but had been otherwise quiet throughout.

"Yatsu, want to say anything whilst we're all here?" He could think of nothing, so instead of bringing the mood down he simply asked:

"Can I bring Jade?" The abruptness and straight-faced way he delivered the question made everyone, himself included, burst out with laughter. If ever there was a better way to repel Grimm, they didn't know. All they knew is that every nest they approached for the rest of the day was nearly completely void of Grimm due to the intense positive emotions driving them away. Sure, that meant they'd have to hunt the Grimm down individually in the future, but their main objective of finding the nests was going really well. They returned to the resort in higher spirits than they left, and immediately went to the bar that was open there. Yatsuhashi invited both Jade and Juno along, but Jade told him that Juno was otherwise occupied, knowing full well that Juno/Juliette had returned to the safety and comfort of her room. The six of them raised a glass and toasted.

"To CFVYN; together now and forever!"

"To CFVYN!"


	25. Sneaky In White

Fox wasn't normally up this early, he hadn't been for a long time now. Before, it always used to be to read in the comfort of darkness before anyone else was awake. But ever since he gained the ability to see, the time he was getting up was slowly dropping further and further back to normal sort of times as he had no need to be up early anymore. But there were times he felt like he needed to be up earlier than usual, and today was one such day.

The team had been at the resort for a week now and in that time, they had completely eradicated all the Grimm nests that were scattered around the site. For the most part, they were all relatively easy after the first one they took down, apart from one that was equally as huge. This time though, they avoided using one of the Grimm as a makeshift bomb, meaning the task was much longer than before. But one thing that Fox noticed a lot was that Yatsuhashi's Aura never seemed to be around whenever he woke up. And when it did eventually show up, it was around Jade's. So, out of curiosity and concern for his brother-in-arms' safety, he managed to pry himself out of bed early, get ready without waking anyone else in the room, and left in silence, sneaking after his friend's Aura when he saw it disappearing down the hall.

After 20 minutes of sneaking after them he had to admit, he didn't expect the pair of them to be coming out to the springs this early in the morning. He was thankful he brought his gown along with him, the breeze combined with the slight low mist on the pre-dawn ground brought the temperature down substantially from what he was used to when they were out during the day, but the gown was so unbelievably good that it recognised the fact that he was cold and started warming up on its own around him.

"Aah, that's nice," he sighed when the heat first came on, following the pair as silently as he could. Sadly, the gowns were white, so trying to be inconspicuous in a pearly white cloak almost was difficult, but he was managing well - they hadn't seen him, so that was something.

"Are you sure about this Jade?" Yatsuhashi asked, a twinge of worry in his voice at the prospect of them doing something they shouldn't be, especially as he was here as a Huntsman (in-Training, of course, but most people didn't know that last part) and doing this would spoil the reputation of himself, Beacon and of the profession in general.

"Of course I'm sure, there's a reason my card got us in here. It wouldn't let us in if we couldn't." She was referring to the bath house just outside one of the resort's less popular springs, 'The Equinox'. Bath houses were the only real entry to the springs, unless you like climbing over 13ft walls that were sloped in such a way that only people with the ability to stick to walls could climb, and even then, entry to them was regulated via the key card guests were given.

"I am slightly perplexed as to how you got in here though, surely there is a time lock on these bath houses."

"There is, but," she leaned in close to tell him the next bit of information, "I have one of only a handful of Master Cards that overrides all time related regulations. It also means I could, if I so wanted to, let myself into to any room at any time. I'm not that corrupted by this thing yet, I just like to treat myself every once in a while; now is one such time. Now come on, get your swimwear on. I'll meet you spring side." She wandered off to the female changing rooms as he remained where he stood, still confused about how that happened.

"Questions for later", he told himself and went off to get changed.

He was in and out of the changing room in five minutes, wearing nothing but a pair of knee length, firebrick red coloured swimming shorts and his gown, which he had to admit was criminally comfortable in the chill of the pre-dawn. As he approached the edge of the spring waiting for Jade to arrive he could tell the water was warm, if the steam wasn't a dead giveaway as is. He felt the residual heat hit his skin a few metres away from the edge of the pool of water and in his gown, he felt blistering hot so, naturally, he wanted to take it off and stand there in just his swimming shorts and let the spring warm him up. But in a shock to him, the gown reacted to the heat and slowly started to cool down. The fine lining behind the white exterior was infused with Dust and the tiniest traces of "Maiden's magic", as Jade often called it around Maron and the Maiden herself, to help read the surrounding temperature and regulate the wearer's body heat to suit the conditions.

"This thing is scarily good at keeping me content with wearing it all the time."

"I know, it's great, isn't it?" Her sudden appearance behind him scared a scream out of the man, who promptly lost his balance and slipped straight into the spring, the warm water hitting his skin and burning slightly at the sudden contrast of the chill whilst wearing his gown to the heat of a natural hot spring. He resurfaced and came straight out of the spring, standing there with his gown soaked and his skin stained with a red glow from the heat opposite a teary eyed Jade, who had been laughing the entire time he was under water.

"I will ask this of you only once: do not ever sneak up behind me when I am standing right by the edge of any of the springs. This thing was made for me, and now it's ruined from being drenched in the water."

Jade rolled her eyes at his comment, "no it's not. Just take it off and leave it lying over there somewhere; it'll sort itself out." Her gown was already off and under her arm, leaving her in her modest swim dress. It was navy with a simple pattern adorning it in reds and whites, more of the latter colour than the former. It didn't reveal anything, not that Yatsuhashi minded anyway, but it certainly hugged her shape a little. "Now, let's actually _enjoy_ the spring rather than you jumping into it like it was a swimming pool."

"You scared me, my reaction was warranted."

"Sure," she teased, knowing full well he was right. She was in a weird predicament at the moment - she knew that he wasn't into dating in the traditional sense and she was fine with that, but that didn't stop her mind constantly battling her heart on what she should do. Right now, she knew where she stood. How long that would last, only time would tell unfortunately. She eased herself into the spring as Yatsuhashi lay his gown out to dry on one of a small handful of rails designed for holding the gowns they were wearing. Jade didn't use one, opting to instead use the tried and tested method of using the floor. Eventually, the tank of a man returned to the spring and used the natural steps on one side to walk in, his body acclimating as he descended the smooth stone steps.

"How is this one of the least used springs?" he queried, "this place is divine. The spring is lovely, and the surrounding area is beautiful."

"It was also, up until a couple of days ago, a popular spot for Grimm to frequent. If and when Grimm numbers died down to manageable levels in these parts, Maron and Mrs S. open the gates to the spring and it is available for customers to come and enjoy. But because Grimm numbers had steadily been growing around these parts, the paths remained shut down for so long that people lost interest in enjoying 'The Equinox', fearing that they would get no peace here and Grimm would come and attack them. 'Summer Spirit' is currently the same, what with the mystery Grimm swimming around there at the moment."

"Yes, we are meaning to go there at some point over the next week and try to take it out, or at the very least scout it out - see what it's like and what it can do. It's another Grimm that is undocumented, so it gives us another opportunity to take photos and file reports."

"Hold on, ' _another_ opportunity'? You mean you've fought other undocumented Grimm before, and won?"

The giant raised an eyebrow with a grin, "you sound surprised that we won. But yes, we have battled one before. A Nuckelavee in my hometown of Hai-no Hana."

"I thought those things were just myths..."

"As did we all, but when one comes knocking on your door, you come to realise that if it is a myth, it's one scary looking and very real myth."

Jade shivered at the thought of it, even in the warm waters of 'The Equinox'. She'd heard stories of the creature, none of them pleasant. "Wh... what was it like? Fighting that thing?"

"For me at least, it was exhausting. I did my best not to show it, but I had been protecting the villagers from it for a day or two before the rest of my team arrived. This was back when Neo wasn't actually part of the team."

"You know, you never explained that to me."

"Now seems as good a time as ever." She smiled as he began recounting the weeks that changed all five of their lives forever; over these past days that she and Yatsuhashi had been seeing each other in the mornings or evenings, Jade came to realise their 'conversations' were mostly just her speaking and him listening, chipping in on occasions. It was nice to let him take the lead with talking for a change.

The tales he told were brief in relation to the length they most likely were, but that didn't hinder the fact that they were amazing stories. The green haired woman had to admit, Yatsuhashi and his team had been through a lot, especially in those first three months, but she learnt so much about the team in that time based solely off the stories. To learn that Fox was born blind was a shock in of itself, but everything that followed both amazed and frightened her at the same time; to learn that such a thing existed and that these could happen to anyone. She was no stranger to the weird and wonderful world in which they lived, what with her discovering Juliette and her powers purely by accident a few years ago, but the story her partner told of the Parchment of Volentes and how it attached itself to both Neo and Fox's souls was something completely new and exciting for her.

"So, what happened next? He found you and then what?" Yatsuhashi let out a brief laugh at Jade's eagerness to hear his story.

"Calm down Jade, I will get to it. But this will need to be the last bit, alright? The sun's starting to rise and my team will be up. I don't want them worrying about where I've disappeared to." Unbeknownst to him, Fox was sitting in a tree overlooking the spring, listening to the conversation as best as he could over the distance. He stayed as long as he needed to get an idea of what they were doing and whether she was taking advantage of him, even though to do so would be very difficult considering his size, combat experience and sheer muscle all dwarfed her own. He saw no ill intentions from her, so content with his scouting he hopped down to a lower branch of the tree that was out of the sight lines of the bathing pair and started jumping from tree to tree to get back to the main resort as quick as he could, he still had a bit of sleep he'd like to cash in.

"That's fair enough, I won't ask for more. But go on, tell me what happened."

"So, Coco ordered that the five of us met in the Western Square of the village - it was the furthest we could be from everyone else without leaving the village itself - to combat it. I still remember first seeing that thing walking out from behind those buildings, the sounds of cracking bones and inhuman gibberish were the stuff of nightmares. _It_ was the stuff of nightmares."

"Sounds it."

"Before it appeared, the first thing that happened was Fox came flying over the buildings. It hit him so hard that he soared right across the open space and landed hard on the ground behind us. _That's_ when the creature reared its ugly head. We learnt a lot about that thing in just the first few minutes of that fight - it was fast, strong and the arms on the upper torso could stretch like elastic." Jade gagged slightly at the thought of it. "And what was worse, when it screeched, it hurt your ears. It was uncomfortable for most of the team, but with Velvet it was-"

"Oh my gosh, was she alright?"

"I won't sugar coat it, no. She passed out from pain because the screaming from it was too intense for her. It completely destroyed her Aura, and to do that takes a lot of effort. Coco nearly lost her life on multiple occasions trying her best to protect her. We were fighting for our lives and do you know what Neo was doing?"

"What?"

"She was taking pictures."

The green haired woman guffawed. "You're kidding, right? Pictures?" He let his mouth sit in a line as he shook his head. "Dear Oum, what was up with her head? She's gotten better now, right?"

"I can't say exactly, we haven't done anything like it since, but we do have this new Grimm that we need to try and document when we clear out 'Summer Spirit', so she'll most likely do that if Velvet doesn't."

"Why would you subject yourself to that sort of thing?"

"The long and the short of it is that by providing clear photographs of as-yet undocumented Grimm along with accurate descriptions of its abilities nets a hefty reward. The report we submitted on the Nuckelavee paid for the meal we went out for to celebrate, but all our outfits as well and with plenty to spare. This one could be equally as profitable." With a sigh, he hung his head, "I sometimes wish that I wasn't doing jobs for money, and that we were doing it purely to help people much like with Hai-no Hana - we only got paid for the report, and that was a pleasant surprise - but at the end of the day we are human, or Faunus, and we need money to get by."

"Hey Yatsu, don't beat yourself up about it, alright?" The neon green eyed girl briefly swam the short distance between them and came to rest at her partner's side. "Your team and I will always be there for you. You told me you graduate at the end of the year, so once that's done you can do whatever you want."

"Not quite; as Huntsmen and Huntresses, you need to undertake at least 2 years' worth of work before anything else. It's so that the Academies of Remnant can monitor their alumni and see what they've done in that time. After that, _then_ they are free to move on with their lives." He turned and smiled at her, his giant hand finding her own under the water, "I appreciate the sentiment and concern though."

"Think nothing of it. What we should be thinking about though is heading back - sun's breaking over the horizon soon and your team will most likely be up as well. We don't want them worrying about you, because they will."

"I know they will," he commented, finding the bottom of the pool and standing to walk over to the edge. He got out and went for his gown which, true to Jade's word, was no longer wet at all from his impromptu dip in the spring whilst wearing it. "Well how about that? It's completely dry."

She smirked a confident smirk. "See, coming here on the regular for many years means that the knowledge and the ins and outs of the resort will rub off from time to time."

"I assume that hanging around Maron and Juno a lot also factors into that? Or are you trying to take _all_ the credit?"

"Shh! Don't blow my cover."

The tank responded with a smile on his face, "as if I'd do that."

Yatsuhashi took his gown and went to the changing room to return into his morning wear. Jade on the other hand remained in her swim dress as she mentioned how her first stop today was the sauna, so she argued what'd be the point of changing out of her swimwear to go back into her swimwear?

The gentle giant couldn't fault her logic.


	26. Preference

On their walk back, Jade asked one more question of the tall man.

"Yatsu, I'd like to know something. It's a little bit... oh, who am I kidding? It's a _very_ personal question, so I don't mind if you don't answer. But, what made you realise you were aromantic?" His breath hitched at the question and he lost his stride. Jade felt immediately guilty and tried to rectify it. "We don't have to talk about it. I won't say another thing about-"

"No." He was uncharacteristically assertive, a trait she wasn't too sure if she liked, but her body stopped and she listened to what he was telling her. "If we are to be partners, then you deserve to know the reasoning behind my preferences. It is only fair." She nodded, wanting to move closer and comfort him, but she sensed an air of uneasiness around him, so stayed back and let him explain.

"When I was younger, about seven years old, I had a temper like you wouldn't believe. I used to shout and scream and generally be an pain, but one thing my parents and sisters were thankful of was the fact that I was never violent. Until one day, a boy in my class said something to me. I lost it and beat the boy down, hard. After that, I was scolded no end by my Mother, but my Father remained silent to it all. When she had stopped, I was taken up into the mountains with my Father. We survived a month with only a week's worth of rations, focussing mostly on meditation and calming methods to clear my mind of impure thoughts and to help keep my anger under control. I continued that routine of meditation for years.

"When puberty hit me, I believed that the thoughts I was getting of my female school mates were unnatural, so I spent extra time meditating to clear my mind of them, telling myself that those thoughts weren't right. As the years went on I learnt that those feelings and thoughts were indeed natural, but the 'damage', so called, had been done. I no longer felt any sexual desires towards any females, and I never had any feelings towards men anyway. In my final months before I started Beacon I refrained from meditating as I did before and let thoughts go through my mind naturally, and in that time, I saw a few girls that I found physically attractive, but I felt no pull to want or be with them, intimately or romantically. I never questioned it in front of anyone, instead choosing to research it in my own time. I learnt that I was aromantic that way; no romantic love towards anyone else, but not shying away from platonic or non-romantic love. Much like we are now, I'd say.

"I'm sorry if you feel differently to me, but I have no romantic feelings for _anyone_. For me now to think otherwise seems almost an impossibility, and I must admit that I don't want us to cease being each other's partner if we cannot acknowledge that. I enjoy this, it is fun and it is nice to know that there is a certain someone there for me in a non-romantic sense. But I feel all too often that you wish that we could be more, despite my insistence that I never can or will see you any differently than how I do now."

"I..." Jade stopped herself and gave her thoughts a chance to sort themselves properly. "Yes, I do find you physically attractive, I said that. Part of me wishes we could be romantic, I mentioned that too and you were okay with that, as was I when you said that you were aromantic. I still like you that way but I _know_ it would never happen, so I repress those thoughts. I like being with you, you make me happy. Why would I do anything to break that?" Jade failed to hear the low growl coming from the treeline as she continued. Yatsuhashi did, but Jade was too deep into her rant to stop. "You have done a lot for me in this past week alone, how would doing anything against your wishes benefit me? The answer is it wouldn't Yatsuhashi!" She was shouting now, and the growls were growing ever louder.

"Jade... calm down and start walking again."

"No! I want you to tell me something; why did you suggest us being partners if you don't do any of this?" Her emotions, amplified by her semblance, were drawing lone Grimm that had escaped Team CFVYN's sweeps of the ground from all around the place, and it was only when the first Beowolf leapt from the bushes at the pair did Jade realise this. On impulse, she screamed and backed away from the impact zone of the Grimm, only to have Yatsuhashi step in the way of it and, channelling his Aura through to his palms, sent a wave of his own energy through the beast and caused it to explode from the inside.

"Stay close and run!" Once again, he was assertive, but this time Jade didn't hesitate to listen. She took off into a full sprint back towards the resort, using her Aura to increase her speed to help her outrun the beasts. Normally, he'd tell her to ease off, but as he wasn't armed and he too needed to escape, he wouldn't complain too much. Another creature jumped at him from the side and he just punched it in the jaw, knocking it away, before he took off after his partner, his larger legs, greater Aura pool and years of experience letting him catch up quickly. He checked his Scroll and sent an SOS message to his team for assistance before focussing solely on getting Jade out of here in one piece.

"Yatsu, I am so sorry!" she cried with tears falling from her eyes, "I never meant for this to happen. I was just angry and I took it out on you and-"

"We can apologise properly later. For now, let's get somewhere safe." His strides kept him level with the woman, who was using a lot of Aura to get away. "Ease off on the Aura usage Jade."

"What? We're being chased!"

"Yes, and you using your Aura like that _will_ get you somewhere faster, but you'll burn through it much quicker. Remember, it's not only a backup reserve for your energy, it's also like a shield around your body - you have Aura, you can protect yourself somewhat from harm; if you have none then you are just as vulnerable as the next person. Plus, we still have a kilometre to go, at this speed you'll run out before we reach halfway." She glanced back and saw the Beowolves, a newly formed pack of four, currently keeping pace with them both. With a groan of uncertainty, she eased off, slowing down to a more manageable speed. It was still running speed for most people, but with the Aura boost it was achieved with nothing but a heavy jog. The creatures grew ever closer as their speed didn't falter when the green pair eased off.

"Yatsu, they're gaining on us."

"Just keep running. Look forward and keep running. I'll fight them off if I need to, I'm the only one of us who can." He smiled at her, as if accepting his fate. "I'm sorry for doubting you. Promise me you'll keep going, no matter what you here?" She nodded as she ran, tears falling again. "Good. Keep running." The giant jumped slightly then skidded to a halt, forcing as much weight and effort into his front leg as he could. When he had come to a complete stop and all the Beowolves were making very heavy ground on him and Jade, he forced all his energy into that leg and sprung off back towards them with an almighty shout, almost a war cry. As the distance between the beasts and him shrunk very fast, he swung his leg round bringing a powerful knee right into the face of the front most Beowolf, its body already starting to flake and fade away before he'd even come to a complete stop or the black and white corpse hit the floor.

He glanced back at Jade who had turned around and slowed down slightly to see what was going on, but he wouldn't have that. She needed to get to safety.

"RUN!" One of the pack let out a roar and jumped at him, hoping to get a good hit on him as he was distracted, but he was too tuned in to the surroundings now to let something as simple as a juvenile Beowolf get the better of him. In terms of unarmed hand-to-hand combat, he was middle of the road in the team. Fox was understandably first due to the nature of his weapons, Neo coming in second. Velvet only shot up the ranks when she used her semblance to mimic a close-quarters weapon, otherwise she was only just weaker at this sort of thing than Yatsuhashi was. Try as she might, Coco was by and large the weakest in this field of the entire team. Sure, none of them were abysmal at hand-to-hand combat and Coco could hold her own against anyone who tried in something as simple as a basic bar brawl or against one, maybe two, of the low/mid-level Holo-Arena Grimm, but pit her against anyone else with more skill in that field, and she'd have the floor wiped with her. Fighting beasts like this for the swordsman was no big deal.

When the beast leapt at him, he spun round and caught its jaws with his hands, holding them open to stop it biting down on him. Being his size came with advantages such as this; if Velvet or Neo tried to do this sort of thing they'd have to use a fair amount of Aura to keep the jaw from crushing them. Although the tank also believed that if she was willing to sacrifice it - which she _wasn't_ \- that Neo would most likely comically prop the beast's jaw open with her parasol. But with him he needed only a small amount of Aura to keep his hands intact and was relying mostly on his sheer size and brute strength, considering how he rivalled the size of the creatures. The struggle lasted a few seconds before Yatsuhashi got a good footing and started pushing back against the beast harder than before. From its reaction, the Beowolf honestly didn't know what to do; not only was its jaw being held open but it was now being walked backwards. The swordsman relented ever so slightly, giving the creature a chance to think it would regain the upper hand. He felt it push against him again, and that's when he flung his arms down and stepped back, using the momentum the Beowolf had provided him to throw it straight into the ground face first. It remained there for all of one second before it started flaking away into nothingness.

As the Huntsman-in-Training was fighting the group, Jade was keeping her word and running. She had tears streaming down her face, she didn't want to leave him alone against those Grimm. She was certain he could handle Grimm, but unarmed, alone and against that many were all thoughts against her partner. The man that, against his wishes and her own thoughts, she most definitely had feelings for. But she knew there was nothing she could do to help him. If anything, her returning would act more as a hindrance to him. She had to keep running.

Sadly, a growl and a pair of glowing red eyes from the bushes halted her in her tracks. Another Beowolf, one not from the pack before - she could tell by the size of it - had found her from her emotions acting like a beacon to the Grimm. Tracking her was fairly easy for them when she was distressed as she was now, but the sheer number of Grimm left on or around the grounds meant that an encounter like this was slim to none.

Guess whose lucky day it is then?

The beast seemed more mature than the ones Yatsuhashi was dealing with, it didn't rush in blindly. This one was very clearly playing with her. It stalked menacingly out of the growth, its form creeping towards her knowing full well that this was its next meal. Tongue licked dark lips as it advanced and, while initially frozen to the spot in fear, the realisation kicked in and Jade started running again, this time not caring about over exerting herself and throwing every last drop of her Aura into her legs to get as far away as possible as fast as possible. The creature gave chase at what seemed to her a scarily leisurely pace, but she was happy she was making ground on it.

Just as suddenly, she felt everything disappear.

"What?!" was all she could say before her legs completely gave way and she tumbled to the floor at full speed, gaining a few cuts on her arms and legs, even a small one on her cheek. She glanced at her hand and saw a jade green crackle of lighting; her Aura was broken and her body was aching from pushing too hard. "Shit," she muttered looking at the beast again, the distance she'd put on it was sizeable, but she was more than certain that it knew she wasn't going to last long. Part of her thought that this was an interesting last thought to have, acknowledging a Creature of Grimm for its tactical thinking. But the rest of her hated it. She started crying again, harder than before. It's not like it would have mattered, she was dead within the next minute anyway. She screamed at the sky as tears fell and the claws scratched the ground closer and closer each time they landed.

She looked at the beast, her face screwed up in pain, as she accepted her fate. It sensed this and lunged.

"Yatsu!" she cried, hoping by some miracle he'd rescue her in the nick of time. Sadly, she knew that wasn't going to happen.


	27. What? Comic Books are a Good Source of Inspiration

Someone else beat him to it.

There were a couple of seconds of roaring as the Beowolf went for the kill, but then there was the sound of metal slicing into flesh, then flesh hitting the ground, then nothing - her quiet sobs ever present throughout the whole ordeal. She waited for death to come, but it never did. Her right eye opened in confusion, and in place of what was the now evaporating Grimm stood Fox, offering a hand up.

"Are you alright Ja-" he was cut off by the girl throwing herself into Fox's embrace and breaking down once again.

"I'm so s-sorry! I shouldn't h-have left him there!" she bawled into his shoulder, her death like grip making things very difficult for him to function properly.

"Jade... need to... breathe..." Suddenly noticing her grip, she released him, then promptly collapsed; her legs were in no shape to support her own weight at present. "Now," he puffed, getting his breath back, "where's Yatsu?"

"He was taking care of Grimm further up the trail, up by 'The E-'"

"By 'The Equinox', I know." She looked at him with a puzzled look. "I'll explain later. Do you think you can make it back to the resort?" In an effort to prove that she could, she pushed up on her arms to steady herself before rocking onto her feet to make her way back. The instant weight was put on her legs for support they crumbled like paper.

Sighing in defeat, she let her head drop to the floor. "No..." When he walked over to her, she wasn't sure what she was expecting. One thing she most definitely did not think could or would happen was that Fox would place his arm on hers, flare his Aura and channel his Aura into hers. Immediately afterwards she felt invigorated with this new energy.

"I've given you some of my Aura to sustain you until you get back to the resort. After that, you're going to need either an Aura shot or a lot of rest to get your own back, the latter method taking a little longer, but without the minor side effects of some of the shots. Do _not_ let this run out, you use it sparingly so that you can get to the resort with some still intact. If this runs out on the way there, there is no guarantee my teammates are going to be up to get to you in time." Fear flashed across her face for a brief second at the prospect, but she was not going to let that get the better of her. She was going to get there going at a comfortable speed. "I need to go, Yatsu is going to need my help." Before he could take off to get there, Jade reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Please," she croaked, her voice hoarse from the running she had just done and the crying and screaming afterwards, "make sure he's safe." Fox looked her up and down, gazing at how she was holding him and how she spoke.

"You have feelings for him, don't you?" She retracted her arm and turned away in embarrassment. After a second or two she nodded, admitting it. "He's not the same sort of person you or I are, Jade. I wish I could provide you with more words of wisdom, but I need to go save him from the Grimm." He turned and took off back towards the pair's spring from earlier as Jade traipsed slowly back to the resort.

The tall man clutched at his left arm, blood dripping through his fingers. Despite being juveniles and overall unorganised, the remaining Beowolves were learning and working together as a pack rather than a collection of individuals. The mass of darkness had grown from what was a handful to what is now close to 20 Grimm, all Beowolves with a single Ursa at the back. They outnumbered him, and where he would only fatigue over time, he'd kill one only for it to be replaced with one that was essentially new and potentially stronger than the last. It was a losing battle, and if the cut her received from that stray Beowolf claw was anything to go by, he was already tiring out - he should have dodged that with no effort, but his mind worked too slowly for his body to register.

Two more creatures jumped at him. The first one he dodged easily, but the second managed to catch him and force him onto the floor. Luckily for the student the beast he was up against was one of the smaller ones in the group, standing much shorter than himself, and weaker too - it just got the edge on him. The struggle on the floor was next to non-existent, as no sooner had Yatsuhashi's shoulders hit the floor he had rolled his hips upwards and kicked the beast over his own head and into his buddies who probably weren't expecting anything like that. Those that weren't currently in that pile of bodies were circling him, lying in wait for him to make one wrong move.

The pain shot through his arm again and he audible winced at the stinging on his left bicep. Seizing the moment, three went in for the attack, one roaring his allies to battle. Yatsuhashi heard that and fought his way through the ever growing pain to fend them off for however long he could last. The first beast was greeted with a knee to the chest followed by a left hook to the face. He regretted that decision not only because of his arm but also because most of a Beowolf's face is bony structure, and that stuff hurts when you punch. It can bounce steel off like it's nothing, a punch must be the equivalent of a light breeze. Fortunately, the force behind the punch not only cracked the armour plate but also forced its way through the white and through onto the black of its skin, knocking it away. He turned around and saw the other two creatures advancing so fast that, in his fatigued state, he would have been able to effectively block any one of their attacks.

As luck would have it, Fox managed to make his way to where his teammate was just in the nick of time. He entered with a diving kick to the front creature, then jumped from where he landed to slice off the second wolf's right arm then its head before finally crossing the distance between the fading corpse and the shocked soon-to-be corpse he just kicked and plunging his blade through the skull, upgrading the Grimm's status from 'soon-to-be corpse' to 'now-a corpse'.

"Need some help Yatsu?"

The giant grinned, "Oh, _now_ you come to help."

"I can always leave, if you'd prefer me to."

"You know that I am only teasing you Fox, your help is much appreciated." The pair readied themselves to attack, the group of Grimm that were in a heap had now sorted themselves out and were angrier than before.

"You managing without your weapon?"

"Not really. I have a gash on my arm now from where one caught me, and I feel that both my energy and Aura are pretty low."

"Well, you'll have to-" It seemed to them that the creatures were fed up of waiting for the pair to have their little back-and-forth as they snarled at them and charged impatiently.

"Fox, go for the trees!" On command, the taller boy made the decision to get them the higher ground, and so using their Auras they flung themselves into the trees, Fox letting out a small chuckle at the sight of two Grimm colliding with one another on the ground below. The pair hid themselves in the leaves and let their emotions mellow to nothingness. A few of them looked around for their prey, but what with them moving so fast on the jump and the fact they were suppressing their emotions to the point where their exact locations are scrambled for the Grimm it was a fruitless job.

{" _Yatsu,_ "} Fox signed, {" _do you have enough left in you for a slam?_ "}

{" _Maybe, but if it doesn't work it would be all down to you._ "}

{" _I can cope with that, just so long as you take at least six out._ "}

{" _Is that all, six? You're getting old Fox._ "} Fox grinned, taking the joke on the chin, then glanced upwards. Yatsuhashi understood the signal and started to climb. After no more than a minute he was at the highest branch he dared to get to where he could still comfortably stand. "Okay... here goes."

The Grimm on the floor still searched, frustrated at the lack of meat that had suddenly just disappeared from right in front of them. All of a sudden, the tank came hurtling down to the ground with outstanding force. Before he hit the ground, you could see the Aura flowing from through his body into his fist, then as he impacted the ground the shockwave of Aura wiped a lot of the Grimm in the immediate radius and knocked most of the others off their feet. Seizing this chance, Fox leapt down from the tree, blades extending to full reach, and began slicing at the Grimm. Most fell, so their efforts were spent trying to get up rather than looking for the two Huntsmen. Fox cleaved most of their heads off before they stood as it was easiest for him to do so, but on occasion he felt it necessary to shoot a couple that were getting up too quick for him to get to for an up close and personal kill. When all was said and done there was only the Ursa left.

"Hey Yatsu, Fastball Special!"

"...You stole that from that comic you're reading, didn't you?"

"Just toss me!" Despite being the least vulgar of the entire team, the gentle giant could help but laugh at the phrasing Fox used for the sentence. "At the Ursa! Toss me at the Ursa!"

"I know, I was just having some fun." Yatsuhashi got a running start, a painful one at that because the Aura slam he did not 30 seconds beforehand took most of it with him as well as a lot of his energy, and caught Fox by the collar of his vest. He spun the dark skinned boy around twice before throwing him as hard as he could towards the beast, letting his blades extend to their fullest and driving them deep into the Grimm's skull. He kept them there and fell with the beast, letting the body dissolve around his blades.

"Well, that went well," the copper haired boy exclaimed, retracting his blades completely back to their bracelets form before turning around to see his brother and teammate taking a knee and breathing very heavily, good arm clamped around the wound on his bad one. _Spoke too soon, Fox._ "Yatsu, you alright?"

"Other than the arm, I believe I am okay. I way need some help getting back though, I-" he cut himself off when the pain flared once more.

"The slam took a lot out of you, I figured. You could have said no, y'know," the shorter young man mentioned as he supported his friend's weight on his shoulder, "it would have taken a little bit longer, sure, but at least you would have been able to walk after."

"I can walk on my own now." Fox raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"Really? Well then, I'm going to let go then, I need to grab something from behind the bush over there." He didn't, but he wanted to prove a point. Fox got all of three steps away from Yatsuhashi before the tank fell because of the strain on his legs. With defeat over his face he looked back at Fox.

"No, I can't walk alone." Fox's grin grew in size.

"You two are more alike than you'd think, you and Jade. She tried to do the exact same thing, with more spectacular results though."

"Let's get back to the resort Fox, I need to see if Jade's alright." Fox turned his head back facing forward but, in his mind, he was smiling.

_At least he cares for her._

* * *

Velvet made her way back to Jade's room after she had gone to grab some food for the four girls. To say she was in a bad state when she came in wouldn't exactly be wrong, but it wasn't too accurate either. She was tired from running, not having had any food before she left and when she returned there was very little of the Aura Fox had given her to make it back still there. Neo was on her way out to aid Yatsuhashi, having woken up and started messaging Fox when he was out until the alert was sent out, when she ran into Jade near the front of the resort, prioritising her wellbeing over her male teammates' once she was told Fox was there now. But even as the greenette spoke, her voice was filled with doubt, and her eyes wet with tears that refused to fall.

To her, she'd run away from a friend when they needed help; even when she knew that her running away was the best option, the _only_ option, she felt helpless. To her, these kids (and Neo) were already leaps and bounds above anything she could ever be in life at three years her junior, five years her senior in Neo's case. She was a roadblock to their success and she couldn't feel any different, even if she and the other three girls tried to convince her otherwise. Velvet went off to get the food whilst Coco and Neo sat there and let her vent these feelings, and when Velvet came back with the breakfast they all sat there and talked.

"Thank you all so much," Jade started after the first few mouthfuls of the butter croissant the Rabbit got her, "you are all so kind to me."

"Jade, you were running to the resort with tears in your eyes and almost completely out of Aura, we're going to look after you no matter what," Coco told her, taking a bite out of her piece of toast.

"Besides that, you and Yatsuhashi are together, so we'd look out for you anyway." At that her breath hitched and her emotions were all over the place. Everyone could tell something wasn't quite right, especially as they felt their own emotions going all over the place as hers did - a direct effect of her own semblance. "Jade?" Neo cocked her head as well, the green haired girl's inability to understand Sign Language making it difficult for her to express her thoughts and opinions to the woman without it being translated via one of the other two.

Only Velvet heard Jade mutter "What do I do?" Neither of the other two did as their hearing would never be as acute as hers. Hearing that, she closed the gap and wrapped her arms around the woman and stayed silent, letting the contact speak for her. The green eyed woman spoke her question again, louder and clearer this time, and Coco answered.

"Is this about Yatsuhashi?" Jade nodded. "Is it becoming difficult for you?" Another nod. "Is it something he did?" She shook her head, easing doubt in Coco's mind. She never thought he'd do something like that, but she needed to make sure. Admittedly, Coco had run out of questions. Neo had one, so she relayed what she wanted to say to Coco first. "Do you have romantic feelings for Yatsuhashi?" There was a pause, one where Jade refused to move or speak, she just hugged Velvet tighter.

"Come on Jade," the Faunus said with a smile and a soft tone, "we're your friends here, we want to help you. Do you have feelings for him?" The answer came as words instead of gestures this time.

"Yes, I do."

"Okay. So, what brought this on?"

"The first time we met. It was the first morning you were here and there was a Purple Sunrise - I'm sure there's an official name for it, but it's what _I_ call it anyway. We gelled, and I loved being in his presence. I never had a filter on my emotions really, and now my semblance is there I find it harder to control it all. I like him as more than a friend, but I feel trapped with what to do."

"...Neo asks if he set out ground rules?"

"He did, yeah... Holding hands, hugs and cuddles he is okay with, obviously sex is out... I can't remember much more than that."

"You sounded a trifle annoyed at that last bit," Coco teased.

"...A little bit," she admitted, a decent blush coming across her cheeks, one she decided she'd try to hide under her breakfast croissant.

"What about kissing?" Jade stopped and thought. She didn't recall him saying against kissing, but equally she didn't remember him saying anything for it either.

"I... I don't recall..."

Coco, along with the other two women of her team, knew that he wasn't opposed to kissing if the CAME Games were anything to go by. But they kept that titbit of information to themselves and she offered much sounder advice. "Then you ask that. If that's the one and only thing you can figure out, it may help ease everything else along somewhat smoother by just being one more bit of information."

"Jade, you will need to realise that Yatsuhashi is not going to change just for you." Velvet was harsh and to the point, but frankly it was warranted and needed, especially coming from the one member of the team Jade admitted she thought was the timid one. "You cannot and will not get him to reconsider his preferences, he made up his mind and it has taken him a fair amount of years to get to where he is now, where he is not ashamed of his feelings and thoughts any more. But he will never look at someone in a romantic light ever again, he unintentionally purged that from himself when he was younger. That sort of thing happens in fairy tales, very seldom does it happen in reality. But that doesn't mean _we_ can't help." Jade's puffy eyes looked into Velvet's with confusion and curiosity. Velvet's shoulder glowed, as did Coco's as they passed a feeling between one another. They were on the same wavelength now.

"We don't know how long you and Yatsuhashi are going to be together," Coco admitted, "but in whatever time you are, we can help fill any gaps in your life that need filling."

"Wait, so you mean even... _that_... if I needed?"

"Jade, you're currently in a room with three other women - one of which is Bisexual and the other two are Pansexual - we can help in that department no ends if you're really in the need. Yeah, we might not be the exact thing you're looking for - i.e. we're women, you're into men - but Neo can attest that you just need to find someone who's good and nothing else really matters, right?" The mute signed something that Jade didn't understand, but Coco was there with the translation. "She said that she admits she prefers a guy in bed, but girls know how to push the right buttons that most guys don't, Fox being the exception because of their time together. Now in terms of everything else, we can help with that too. You've got to lean on if you really need, and we swear that none of us would do anything that you weren't comfortable with if you wanted to 'use us', so called."

"You... would do that? For me?"

"Of course! We're your friends. You know that, right?" She nodded. "Then you have nothing to worry about. But I recommend speaking to Yatsuhashi again about this, and if things don't quite pan out the way you want, then you have us girls to lean on." She grabbed the other two by the shoulders and pulled them in, hugging the pair of them simultaneously.

"What about your partners?" the green woman asked innocently enough.

"Coco and myself had already agreed that we were happy for our relationship to be semi-open, so she discusses it with me and I approve or disapprove so I _know_ who she'd be seeing. Fox and Neo are the same, so we'd need to clear it with Fox first before Neo joined in." Velvet turned and smiled sweetly at the older woman, "but I'm saying that I'd be okay for Coco to help, and I'll join in too if you don't mind."

"..." Jade's mouth opened to speak, but no words came to express her gratitude to the three of them. They had selflessly offered to help with anything she needed if it came to it on a whim. She was truly and utterly gobsmacked. "How can three brilliant young women all be together in one place? You're amazing, the lot of you."

"Easy there Jade," the beret toing woman teased, "we've only just offered to help you and you're _already_ trying to flatter your way into our panties?!" The outsider's face glowed with a strong blush, the sight of which caused the other three started laughing, one silently of course. "Jade we're teasing you. We know that you... well, we _hope_ that you're not that crazy. Except for Neo, she gets off to that." The woman in question hit her team leader hard on the arm. As they started laughing again, Jade joined in too, but not long after Fox and Yatsuhashi made their way into the room, swapping the tension from light-hearted to serious in a matter of moments.

"Yatsu!" As room was cleared on one of the beds, Jade was there straight away, assessing the damage. "Yatsu, are you okay?"

"I'm tired, I can tell you that." Her eyes drifted from his face to his arm and she saw the cut there, the skin underneath stained red from his blood. She wanted to scream, a cut like that was nasty, but part of her knew that doing so wouldn't help in any way, so somehow, she managed to repress her natural urges.

"How did that happen?" she asked in shock and horror.

"A Beowolf clawed at me; I was too slow to dodge it, so it cut right through my gown." As Velvet got her personal first aid kit from the bag she brought, Jade got up and started pacing around the room, mumbling something to herself. The sight unnerved the tank. "What's up with her?" he whispered.

"I'm going to go ask her," Fox answered back, "I'll find out." He went from his brother's side to Jade's, her mumbling becoming more audible as he got closer.

"That's not supposed to happen," she repeated, "Juliette said that wasn't supposed to happen."

"Who's not?" Fox queried, keeping his voice down so that only they could hear each other. Well, and Velvet, but it was impossible for her _not_ to hear in a room this size unless you were speaking in a whisper on completely the opposite side of the room or it was Neo talking to Fox in their heads.

"Juliette, she said that that shouldn't happen." The instant the words left her mouth, she knew she shouldn't have said what she did. Her hands clamped to her mouth in fear that something else might be said and her eyes started watering.

"Jade, who's Ju-"

"I wasn't supposed to say that. I betrayed her trust. I'm such a bad friend!" She was going to head down a self-destructive path, he could tell already, so Fox caught her in a hug to stop her from doing anything silly.

"Shh, easy there. Just take it easy and we can talk it through."

"We can't; I wasn't supposed to even know, but then I did, and now I've hurt the trust between us."

"Okay, so how did you find this out then?" he pressed. She seemed to be spilling things almost willingly, so he knew to use that to get deeper into the mystery.

"I eavesdropped. I heard Maron and Juliette talking about something, but I fell and was discovered. They told me not to tell anyone."

"And why is that?"

"Because the information is life changing, world changing. To know these things exist makes everything else fall into place." He was close, so he tried his luck once more.

"What is it Jade? What was it they were talking about?" Her eyes watered more, and she tightened her grip on his own gown.

"I... can't. I _won't_ say. I've already told you more than anyone else should ever know."

 _Damnit, so close._ Neo glanced over, raising an eyebrow. ~ _Later, with everyone._ ~ She answered with a small smile, then returned to helping the other girls with their teammate's injury. "You were saying things about Juliette, that _this_ shouldn't happen."

"She made the gowns so that they could withstand a Beowolf claw or some teeth because of the risk involved in going to some of the outer springs like 'The Equinox' or 'Summer Spirit'. She somehow manages to weave Earth Dust into the cloth to harden it when it's needed. Something must have gone wrong. That's never happened before."

"And Juliette, she's who exactly? Is this Mrs S perchance?" Jade closed her eyes and sighed, she was so dead when Maron found out, because she will.

"'Mrs S' and 'Juno' were pseudonyms. Her real name is Juliette Solstice. She's a-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up Jade, this isn't an investigation, you don't need to tell me everything. I just wanted to know if Juliette and Mrs S were linked, which I now know they are. But Juno was a false name too?"

"It was... Gods, I'm such an idiot."

"Okay, you need to stop doing that to yourself. Yes, you said something you shouldn't have, but Team CFVYN don't spill secrets. We have our own little code that we stick to, one of the things on their mentions how secrets are shared with everyone, but from there they go us to our graves. You have nothing to worry about."

"Why must everyone else know Fox? No one else should have known..."

"Just... just trust us, okay?" She nodded. "Good." The other three girls finished working on the tank's dressing for his main wound and cleared up his smaller ones when Jade glanced over at him, a thankful smile gracing her face seeing that he was okay. "Go look after him. You two have some talking to do."

"Thank you, Fox." The young man took his leave, grabbing a single granny smith apple before walking out of the room. He spoke to Neo in his head telling her that the green pair ought to be left alone, something she and the Mates agreed on. Once the door was shut, the pair sat in an uncomfortable silence, the ever present ticking of the clock louder and more noticeable than before.

"I'm glad you made it back alright Jade," the tank admitted, breaking the unease, "I was worried that something would have happened to you when I sent you running."

"Something did happen, it was pretty bad too. Didn't Fox tell you?"

"He mentioned how you had done something that I mirrored later when I tried to stand, but went into no more detail than that."

The woman scratched the back of her head, embarrassed to say, but not wanting to hold back anymore with her friend ('partner' seemed too strong a word right now for her). Even though she was trying to progress, she avoided eye contact - it made everything easier for her. "I ran into another Grimm on the way back, and kind of used all my Aura getting away from it. I collapsed on the floor and I..." reliving the moment and feelings, she finally looked him in the eyes as she finished, "I called your name, hoping you would save me. It seems childish, but in that moment, I felt that you were the one thing keeping me grounded, one thing worth fighting for even though I can't fight. Fox got there as it was pouncing for the kill, then he gave me a bit of his Aura when I stubbornly tried to stand on my own but promptly collapsed."

With a slight chuckle, Yatsuhashi confirmed, "yes, I did the exact same thing." In a move that surprised her, _he_ extended his hand out to her and, whilst she was initially hesitant to reach out, leaving him as he was wouldn't make the next part of the conversation any easier. So, she took a hold of his hand, feeling the warmth from his grip and smiling at his face when she took it. "I feel like we are in need of a long talk about us."

"Yes," she agreed with a teary smile, happy that he was okay, but also that they would have a chance to talk it out civilly, "I believe we are."


	28. Quite the View

"Okay Fox, care to explain what you two were talking about?" Coco quietly probed once they were back in their other room away from Jade and Yatsuhashi. Yes, they were only one room apart, but the walls were made in such a way that very little to no sound leaked through - helpful in the 'situations' some couples have when in resorts and hotels and the like.

"I was merely asking her about what she was saying, and she kind of just... opened the floodgates of information onto me."

{" _Such as?_ "}

"For starters, Juno isn't called Juno. Much like with what you did Neo, it's a cover name, although unlike you she doesn't change her appearance in any way, she just hides it under hoods. Mrs S is too, but that is more a formal way of addressing her by her real name."

"I thought not-Juno seemed rather nice," Velvet commented, "why would she do something like that?"

"I couldn't tell you Velvet. And her name isn't 'not-Juno', according to her it's Juliette Solstice." The three women nodded at this information.

{" _The pseudonyms help explain her behaviour a bit more; secretive, always walked around with her hood up. Even when she did speak to us, it was almost like she was wishing she could stop it at every given moment,_ "} Neo's reasons were solid, most likely aided with some first hand knowledge on it, " _not to mention the fact that she always seemed to be looking over her shoulder, like she was in constant fear that there was someone watching her from afar._ "

"Jade also mentioned that Juliette was the one to create the gowns for everyone, weaving Dust into the fabrics. Normally there's enough Earth Dust in there to harden it and stop a Beowolf claw, apparently, and that this has never happened before." They were sceptical, obviously, but took the information as was presented. "Also, 'knowing that these things exist can change your life and make everything fall into place'. I'm paraphrasing, but that was the gist of what she mentioned at one point."

"So," the leader deduced, "we have a woman of about our age who, judging from what we've seen of her, is being kept here under Maron's supervision, using false names to get by without drawing attention to herself, weaves multiple different types of Dust into the gowns in such a way that it is basically impossible to do unless you are specialised enough in that field, and is so secretive to everyone that knowing of her existence is life changing news. What is she?"

Everyone looked around at everyone else, hoping that one of them would have the answer to the question. Fox only knew what Jade had just told him, and the others had very little extra to go on. At this point it was pure speculation as to what Juliette was and what had gotten Jade so worried that she let this all slip. Not knowing what to do, Fox took the first bite of his apple, the crunch of the fruit disturbing the thinking of the other three.

"One thing we can all agree on," Coco mentioned, completely derailing the others' trains of thought, "is that Jade really does care for Yatsuhashi." That was indeed one thing they all agreed on.

Velvet added to that statement, drawing attention to the fact that "she was a little worried when he came in as he was, but when she saw his arm she full on panicked for a second or two. Her semblance is going to work against her - her emotions are so extreme a lot of the time." The Faunus sighed, "she means well, but it is difficult trying get her to realise that our line of work is dangerous, that these injuries happen more often than we'd like."

{" _I agree. Look, the day's getting on and we need to get an idea of what we're doing up at the 'Summer Spirit', so I say we go there and think on this some more later. I know it's early, but the sooner the better._ "} Coming to the conclusion that it would indeed be more beneficial for all of them, they all got finished their breakfasts, got showered and changed into their combat gear. Coco and Neo went next door to speak to the green pair whilst Fox and Velvet cleared up their breakfast things and took them back to the food court, with the rendezvous point of by the main entrance being agreed on before they went their separate ways.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"You can knock properly, you don't have to say 'knock'. Come in." The two fashion girls didn't need to knock, but equally they didn't want to interrupt anything personal between the pair if they entered the room unannounced. One brown, one Heterochromatic pair of eyes stared at the couple; Yatsuhashi on the bed with his bad arm resting on his chest and his good one down by his side with fingers interlocked with Jade's. "What are your plans Coco?" the giant asked.

"You are staying here, no if or buts on that one. You need to recover, and I'm sure you'll be alright if we say that we wanted you to look after him." She directed the last part towards the greenette, who smiled at the request.

"I was planning on going and having a sauna day, but I guess that can wait."

"Glad to hear it. If you _really_ wanted to, you could make sure his dressings are alright and head off for a few hours, change them, rinse and repeat. He just needs rest until his Aura recovers and does the rest of the work." The woman shook her head.

"I'll be fine with him here."

"Glad to hear it," Coco reassured, wanting no conflict to come of this, "just thought you'd ought to know that we were heading up to the 'Summer Spirit' spring to do recon and formulate the plan of attack. We won't do anything without you big guy, you can literally carry the team at times."

"Ha, ha, I'm a big guy and you are all small and weak, I've heard that one before."

"We are not weak, Daichi; you have tried to lift my weapon when its unfolded and you admitted that you struggled a bit."

"Not because of the weight of it, but the awkwardness of the handles for me. I'm used to a single handle at the bottom of the blade."

"Yeah, well maybe once you've healed up nicely you can try again, properly this time!"

{" _When you're quite finished, ladies,_ "} Neo butted in.

"Right," Coco said, collecting herself from her little playful banter tangent, "just stay safe in here and talk out what you need to. I know you have a lot." The pair of them nodded, then Coco and Neo grabbed what little stuff they and their partners had in this room for the day and left without saying much more, the door clicking gently behind them as they left. Yatsuhashi averted his eyes from the door to Jade and after a few seconds Jade looked back at him.

"Is there anything you'd like to do, knowing I have the day to recover?"

"Now that you mention it," she replied, raising her hand to cup her chin, "I recall you mentioned about how good of a cuddler you were."

He laughed at that. "Yes, I have been told as such, but I am not one to brag anyway." She got up from where she was by his bedside and scooted herself onto the bed.

"I'd like to test this claim."

"Alright then."

* * *

The 'Summer Spirit' spring wasn't as far away from the resort as 'The Equinox' was; as one of the previously most popular springs on the resort you wouldn't exactly want to be trekking miles across the land to get there. Even taking the hike into consideration, and the fact that they were going there purely for work rather than R&R purposes, they were not complaining.

Well, mostly.

'Summer Spirit' was situated near the top of one of the highest natural plateaus in the resort, so the walk there was mostly an uphill climb. From the resort entrance you walk through roughly a kilometre of lush green woodlands before reaching the base of the mini mountain, where there was the bottom of the waterfall from the higher point cascading down into the lake at the bottom, called 'The Harvest' Lake. The sight alone was magnificent and one that they would gladly come back to once they had completed their task. Sadly for them, 'The Harvest' had to be heavily monitored ever since the incidents up at 'Summer Spirit' kept occurring, to the point where eventually it was cornered off from the public use to eliminate any chances of things going wrong about the time when Team HLQN were eventually found. That didn't stop people going on walks around the lake, but many were confused and angry at the ownership's reasoning behind the restriction of access to it - it was a natural 90 metre waterfall and lake, not a man-made attraction, so it was within everyone's right to go in. Those people were a), reminded that they were on the grounds of 'The Four Season Springs' Resort and, as such, they would obey by the rules that were enforced there and b), hastily deterred when an ominous and inhuman sound came from the rocks.

Past 'The Harvest' and following the beaten path two thirds of the way up the mountainside, then forking off at the fourth sign along the way through some now thick brush brought you to 'Capricorn Ridge'. It was an accessible (painfully so because of some of the fauna in the way) outcrop of rocks on the side of the mountain just out of the way past where most paths could see, so you would only know about it if you had prior knowledge of it, which they did thanks to Jade. And the view was stunning. The view expanded far towards the horizon without a single structure in the way except trees and the occasional hill in the far distance, the waterfall audible and just barely visible on their far left. It was serene; if not for the fact that a Creep decided it wanted to try its luck and sneak up on them. Neo managed to catch it before anyone else could get hurt, killing it with a blade through the back of its neck and out its mouth. But when the second one came along she knocked it down with a closed parasol and proceeded to beat it for ruining a perfectly nice moment with her closest friends and her boyfriend. It eventually died, but not before being subject to many blunt object traumas.

After that, they continued up to 'Summer Spirit', and boy were they in for a treat. Reaching the bath house up there they could already tell that it was going to be good, there was just something about it. Walking through to the spring side, they were right. The bath house itself was on the North side of the spring, but that was the only side that was obscured, meaning that the entire day from sunrise to sundown the water was in constant sunlight. There was a rocky alcove on the right of the bath house that went into the side of what was left of the mountain, as there was only another 10m or so to climb before you were at the very top of this part of the resort, a place called 'The Maidens' Blanket'. The spring extended out to the right into the alcove, and left ever so slightly, leaving a large enough area that people would have often laid their blankets down on to relax. The South side is where the beauty really showed.

"Holy shit..." Coco managed to let out, her entire being in awe with what she was seeing. The South side of the spring dropped naturally ever slightly down to a smaller pool, merely a glorified puddle a couple of metres below, before falling off into the waterfall they daw from the bottom into 'The Harvest'. The view expanded out to cover the entire resort and then some, the light roofs of the main resort's buildings reflecting the sunlight off them and making it shine like a gem in a sea of treetop green. The only indication that the second pool below them wasn't natural came from the odd sounds that were made when the water hit it. When they gave it a closer inspection they saw that there was in fact a mini metal ledge down there with some small machinery that was working surprisingly quietly. That, or the roar of the waterfall was much louder than it. The quartet first thought that having a generator behind the waterfall was odd, but when they saw the thing it was most likely powering they backed off their assumptions and went with it. There were two posts on either side of the sheer edge of the water, both as far out as they could be, made completely of metal and powered by the generator. A faint haze covered the front of the window to the world that was the top of the 'Summer Spirit' waterfall, one that was arguably unnoticeable until it was pointed out to you or you were actively looking for it. Neo found a stone and chucked it at the window, and it passed right through. She then walked up to one of the edges and tried to put her hand to it.

"Be careful Neo!"

~ _Don't worry about it, I'll use my non-dominant hand._ ~ He rolled his eyes at his girlfriend's disregard for her own health sometimes. She managed to touch the invisible barrier; it felt almost like an invisible wall of jelly that was impossible to break through.

"That's a Bio-Shield," Velvet commented, "it must be in place to keep anyone from falling off. These are expensive to own, let alone maintain." Bio-Shields were a recent innovation that brought in a lot of revenue and made the inventor of them unbelievably wealthy; not bad for a small time inventor from the Vacuo deserts. They were calibrated to let inorganic matter like metal or rocks or the like through, but recognised the general signature of skin and acted like a wall, pushing back against it and preventing it from passing through. Considering the drop on the other side of the glass, mini pool not included, was easily close to 80 metres, utilising this technology was the best option for all involved.

"Okay," Fox said, the shock of the view finally wearing off enough for him to form cohesive sentences, "another thing we can add to this Juliette's list of mysteries is that she is either super rich, or she knows and is very friendly to someone who is." Other than the Bio-Shield, its generator and the bath house, everything about the place was completely natural.

"Coco," Velvet mentioned to her Mate, "if we were ever going to do things the human way and get married, I'd want you to propose to me at a place like this." The fashionista smiled, walking up to the Faunus and wrapping her arm around the smaller woman's shoulder. Their shoulders glowed as their Marks sent feelings from one person to the other.

_Adoration._

"If we were doing things the human way, I'd _want_ to propose in a place like this. I mean, look at it!" They gazed out towards the horizon, a picturesque blanket of sun washed greens and blues, the shimmering water below glaring slightly into everyone's eyes making the whole thing look like a dream scape. "How a Grimm could ever get here when there must be so much positivity surrounding this place is beyond me."

"Which is what we came here for," Velvet reminded her, "not to stare at that postcard-prefect view."

"See Velvs, even you can get distracted by it" Fox teased, bringing a slight blush to the Faunus' face and made her hide behind her hands. Neo's lips curled upwards into a half smile, then she moved forward, took out her Scroll and snapped a few photos.

~ _It'll last_ _longer._ ~ She gestured to her remaining two team members { _"Now everyone, huddle up_!"} They obliged, as did Fox, getting close together to be part of the photo. With a click of the button, they all inspected their shot and were thoroughly impressed by the image - it contained all four of them and the view behind.

"Now that we've got the tourist part out of the way," Coco reminded them again as they walked back to the bath house, "let's get the Huntsman part started. We'll split off in pairs and try to cover as much ground as we can. Leave no stone unturned, we need to see if we can get any traces of that Grimm and then we work from there. Fox, you and I will go to the left side, see what we can see that seems a bit abnormal working along the path. We'll drop back down to 'Capricorn Ridge' and work our way back up. You two, go high and right; start on 'Maiden's Blanket' if you can get up there, then come down and see what you can see around this area. We need to check everything, but I have a feeling that we may get our answers in this area. Everybody got their comms?"

"Got mine," Fox said through his earpiece.

"Me too," echoed Velvet.

"Good, all sounds right for me too..." she glanced quickly at Neo. "Why aren't you speaking through your comms, Shortcake?" Her reply was simply her sticking her tongue out at the caramel coloured leader, who smirked at the response. After that, the mute tapped her ear twice, showing Coco that she had her earpiece in any way to hear the conversation, a gesture she acknowledged. "Alright, split up and meet back here in 2 hours. Radio in anything that looks a bit suspicious, we'll make a note of it and come back to it down the line." The four parted company and went their separate ways. Neo took Velvet's hand and ran towards the waterfall, confusing all three other people present. She then jumped, taking the now-screaming Faunus with her and disappeared between the mass of cascading water and the shimmering shield protecting anyone from jumping down the waterfall, the scream stopping suddenly.

"At this point, you'd think I'd stop worrying about her doing things like that," Fox commented straight faced to Coco as they both looked at where their respective girlfriends just disappeared from sight, "but I can't stop myself from getting worried every single time." His Scroll buzzed.

**Neo:  
_We're on The Maiden's Blanket and we'll work down from here. Velvet didn't like the journey too much :p x_**

_**1 file attached. Click**_ _ **here**_ _**to view**_

Fox opened it up to see Neo taking a selfie with a giant grin on her face. Besides that, there was a green looking Velvet in the background, ill from the 'sudden displacement in reality' as she liked to call it, flipping the ice cream girl off for doing that sort of thing, knowing full well her body can't handle it like she or Fox could.

"Of course, she'd do that..." he muttered to himself as he showed his leader the image and corresponding message.

"Hey, you're the one thinking of marrying her, you've got to deal with that sort of shit for the rest of your life," the gunner told him as she made her way through the bath house and out to the path, "so don't come running to me when that thing happens on the regular."

"I'm willing to live with that sort of crazy," he replied with his head held high. With a playful smack on the arm and a smirk, Coco ushered him along back down the path they came from. Unbeknown to them, a dark being watched them from the shadows, its multiple red eyes glowing as it watched its potential next bit of prey walk away.

* * *

**{END OF ACT 2}**


	29. Feelings?

**KEY:**

"Speech"  
_Thought_  
{" _Sign Language_ "}  
_~Thought Talking~_  
**Scroll message**  
_*Scroll call*_

* * *

Yatsuhashi flinched as the wrap around his arm was removed, ripping a small bit of dried blood that was scabbing off with it, the pain drawing out an intake of breath.

"I thought you said it wouldn't hurt you" Jade teased, dabbing the small spot where blood had come to the surface again with a small bud of cotton wool.

"It didn't 'hurt'," he shot back, "was just mildly uncomfortable."

"I'll believe you Yatsuhashi, many others wouldn't."

"Thank you for that vote of confidence." She just smiled in response, tending to the dressing. She was shocked at how fast something like that healed, but he reminded her that Aura helped speed up healing injuries providing there was Aura to spare. If you ran out, without a resupply of it you'd be as weak as a person of your size and weight without their Aura unlocked, with all the drawbacks too, and you would be waiting for it to recharge to at least 50% before it started working on healing the owner's body. It was why Jade was still feeling the after effects of running here and had much worse looking but smaller cuts on her knees - thanks in no part to the fact she was wearing nothing but a gown and a swim dress - whereas Yatsuhashi was beginning to heal the giant slash on his arm substantially in the same amount of time.

"I bet this will scar up quite nicely too" the greenette commented, finishing the wrap of bandage around the cut.

"Not really, given how much my Aura is working on it."

"How could something like this _not_ scar?"

"Well, besides the fact I'm focussing my Aura and working it pretty hard on getting it healed as fast as possible, it was just a slice from a Grimm claw. They generally don't scar as bad as weapon scars."

"But then, what about Fox' scars? Were they all weapon scars?"

"They..." he sighed, "they were and are mostly scars from Grimm, but Fox is different. Being blind meant that he couldn't really see how sever his injuries were until they were pointed out to him, by that point they were too far along to heal up properly. Coupled on top of that with the fact he has a slight Aura deficiency. He certainly doesn't lack the amount of Aura as anyone else, but it is weaker than he often likes to believe at times. The same sort of hits on me or Coco would take more of his Aura away if he didn't know where to block and let it hit him out of the blue. He has a lot of scars because honestly, he has fought more demons than any of us have combined, save maybe Neo, and they are the proof of his struggles." Jade's head lowered, slightly ashamed of bringing the conversation topic up without the person in question in the room.

"He wears them with pride though," the gentle giant continued, "he hates them - some more than others - but that sort of hate he only shows to his teammates and family. To everyone else, he is proud of his scars. They are, to him, proof that he had fought in many battles and come out the other side with his life still intact."

"I guess that's... sound logic" she admitted half-heartedly. Yatsuhashi cocked his head slightly to one side.

"Something seems to be bothering you still. What is it?" She had to tell him. Properly this time, not skirting around the facts with him. Unlike earlier, she was in control of her emotions and was in the right frame of mind, and as such knew exactly what she was saying to him.

"I betrayed someone. I was given trust by someone and I shattered that trust; I don't expect them to look at me the same way again when they find out that I let their secret out." Yatsuhashi ushered for her to sit on the bed again, lying down next to him. Judging from her small smile, he was right about one thing earlier; he was rather good to cuddling with.

"I'm here to listen to you Jade. Unload what you feel you need to."

Before she started, she felt the need to mention something. "Yatsu?"

"Yes Jade?"

"You are good for cuddling" she answered as she moved her body closer to him. The man couldn't help but let out a little giggle, then let her start talking.

"How much did you hear when Fox and I were talking earlier?"

"Honestly, not a lot. I knew you were talking, but I couldn't tell you what about."

"Okay, then I'll start from the beginning. About a year ago, it might have been two, I was walking around when I heard Maron and two other people talking about something. I couldn't make out what it was initially, so I moved closer and closer until I could. They were speaking about something this other person had done very recently. I turned the corner and saw Maron with a girl and an old looking man. The girl I now know to be Juliette, and the man was your Professor Ozpin."

"Ozpin?" he clarified, which she nodded at. "I have to say, I'm not 100% surprised he'd be involved in something like this."

"Well, I believe what they were talking about was very personal, so I tried backing away, but I didn't make it very far. Somehow Ozpin was waiting for me around the next corner and asked me how much I had heard of their little conversation. He's actually quite terrifying when you catch him in a bad place."

"Agreed."

"After that, I was almost drafted in to help with whatever they were doing as a part-time thing. See Ju-" she stopped herself, having second thoughts about if this was the right thing to say or do. "Promise me that what I tell you never leaves us. Please." He nodded. "No, I need to hear you say it."

"Jade, I promise that I won't ever tell anyone else about what you tell me."

"Not even your team. I told them part of it, but not everything. There can't be too many people knowing about this."

His initial hesitance was evident, but eventually he agreed. "Not even the team."

"Thank you... Juliette had recently become a Maiden; the Summer Maiden to be precise." Yatsuhashi's brown eyes shot wide open at that realisation, but he kept his mouth shut so that she could continue - there was bound to be more for her to unravel. "The previous Maiden had passed not moments before and Juliette had personally volunteered to become the new 'host', per se, of the Maiden's powers. In doing this, she had forfeited her freedom in exchange for those powers, a realisation she only had about a month ago. Ozpin was there because he seemed to know a lot about the Maidens, and Maron was there because, as I later found out, the previous Summer Maiden had started this resort years ago and Maron was there from the start. When the previous woman, a woman named Lapis Luna, had become deadly ill, the only person she could call on at the time was Maron. Ever since, Maron had looked after Lapis right until the day she passed, at which point she instead started looking after Juliette. My 'job' was/is to keep Juliette happy and away from loneliness, as Lapis was supposedly gravely so. When I did see her back as a child, which was very uncommon but not completely rare, she _did_ look massively upset at all times."

"It must have been a very hard life on her."

"I imagine so. Juliette's been okay for the most part. From what I could tell, the other Maidens chose much different lifestyles. One travels constantly, never staying put for more than a couple of days before moving on; another one of her sisters travelled far away and lived in complete solitude with only her imagination to keep her company. Lapis chose something like this to throw anyone off the track, a life of normality for a being so indescribably not so, and Juliette had followed suit. But she couldn't stay Juliette forever. So, she used other names to hide her true one. 'Mrs. S' and 'Juno' are both false names for her." Yatsuhashi's eyes widened again.

"I spoke to a Maiden?" A small smile graced Jade's lips.

"Life changing stuff, isn't it? But there's more." Now, he was hooked on this story and wanted to know everything he could. "The Maidens have amazing, almost otherworldly, powers and control over the elements. These gowns were made by Lapis, and eventually Jade, using those powers and weaving the smallest amounts of magic into the fabric. That's how your body temperature can be kept at a pleasant level, and how it can dry itself, and how it was supposed to be able to block claws by using the Earth Dust, but somehow yours didn't come out quite right."

"I do not care about that Jade. It happened, and frankly I wasn't expecting my gown to be able to do that anyway." He sighed, letting everything sink in. "Was that everything?"

"Everything I think you'd need to know, yeah. I trust you, Yatsuhashi. I like you, more than a friend if that wasn't already evident, and I trust you completely."

"I know Jade," he mentioned as he hugged her tighter, "I know. Thank you for trusting me so, but I feel I must ask; why can't anyone else know about the Maidens?"

"Ozpin told me that the more people who know, the greater chance that the power hungry would come after them. Keeping their existence hidden from the world saves them from having to run forever."

"You mentioned that one of the Maidens already does that."

"She does that by choice, not as a matter of necessity. She moves from place to place to keep her safe and to keep her mind from frying through boredom. Every week she arrives somewhere new and does something new because she wants to."

"And is that why you have access to everywhere?" he inquired, pieces of the intricate puzzle slowly being pieced together more and more. "Repeat visitors may get some perks, but none would be as extensive as a Master Key. You got that because if Juliette wanted or needed something in a hurry you could get it yourself, because you're her one true friend in this entire resort besides Maron, and you need to be able to do anything you needed to without having to rely on Maron or any other member of staff to open and close doors for you on a whim." Whilst she felt irked at the fact he figured it out so fast, a sense of relief that filled her overcame the feeling of irritation, so much so that she let out a well needed laugh. "Why are you laughing Jade?"

"You figured it all out so fast; it's a wonder I haven't spilled the beans to every Tom, Dick and Harry that walks in this place." The last part felt like a stab at herself, so Yatsuhashi decided in that instant that he would spin it so that it wasn't all on her head.

"Yeah? Well, I bet you haven't been this comfortable with any Tom, Dick or Harry though, have you?" She paused, only giving merit to the tank's statement with every passing second.

"Valid point."

"You have kept the secret hidden very well Jade. No one can or should fault you there. When you told Fox, you were panicking and blurted it out because it was something closely associated with Juliette. But with me, you trusted me enough to tell me this information of your own accord. I've promised you that I won't tell anyone else and I will stick to my word." He pulled her tighter, cushioning her in a firm but gentle hug. The green haired woman all but melted into the embrace.

With a smile on her face, Jade joked that "for someone who has no attraction to anyone, you sure are good at hugging. Have you been practicing?"

"I have. But not out of choice sometimes; Coco can be very clingy to anyone when she gets drunk, especially in the colder months, so let's just say I've learnt to be a very good blanket."

"It shows" she sighed as she huddled in closer still.

"And just because I do not experience romantic attraction doesn't mean I can't be good at hugging, it just means that most of the time I feel nothing from it." Green eyes stared at him perplexed at that comment.

"What do you mean ' _most_ of the time?'"

"There are a few occasions I have felt something in my teenage and adult life when hugging someone - I don't count childhood because I did not know about my orientation back then. On a couple of occasions, I have hugged someone and felt relief from knowing they are there now, mostly my team after a two-handed mission that took slightly longer than anticipated. I have felt sadness in a few hugs when Fox died, understandably. And right now," he looked down at her, brown eyes locking onto green with such kindness behind them, "I feel proud. Proud at the fact that the person in my embrace right now is such a strong and resilient woman, with such a kind heart, and a beautiful smile to boot. And that this person sees me as I am and accepts it, because she truly cares for me as I do for her." Jade's blush couldn't hide even if she wanted it to, her entire face was lit up with a healthy red glow at his nice comments. She smiled at him, and he smiled back at the fact he had made her happy.

In a move that shocked him though, she leaned up cupping one of his cheeks and gave him a dainty peck on the lips.

"Thank you Yatsu. I do really care for you." And with that, she curled up into his embrace one last time, huddling into his warmth.

The tank lay there in confusion. It was such an unexpected action for her to take even knowing that he feels nothing from it, but she did it anyway. He had no way to describe how he felt, because he had never experienced a kiss like that before. Sure, he'd kissed his team before, but that was because of the CAME Games, there was nothing behind any of the kisses (at least not towards him, Coco and Velvet on the other hand...) but here there clearly was. His head hit the pillow and his eyes drifted shut as he tried to let everything sink in.

Nothing was clear at all in his mind, except one tiny thought.

_That felt kind of pleasant._


	30. First Encounters of the Terrifying Kind

A dark and unexplained mist drifted over the area as CFVN regrouped back at the bath house by 'Summer Spirit'. Coco was already waiting there with Fox as their respective girlfriends walked through the building to meet them.

"Anything?" the tan skinned boy asked.

"We couldn't find anything," Velvet admitted, "all the nooks and crannies we looked in up there had nothing. The view was pretty spectacular; if it weren't for the fact I had to throw up soon after getting there, I would have taken a picture to show you." The Rabbit glared at the tri coloured perpetrator to her side, who innocently smiled, swapped her eyes so that they were both pink and cupped her hands to make a little heart shape for the woman.

"I thought you'd gotten better with that Velvet," her girlfriend mentioned as she came in for a hug.

"I _have_. But normally I'm at least a tiny bit prepared to teleport. But being dragged off a waterfall and then teleporting whilst we were in that brief freefall meant that I was already panicking before we'd even jumped locations, so it was naturally going to end with my breakfast on the floor." Coco didn't glare at Neo like her partner did, rather she just looked disappointed at her older teammate. At the gesture, the mute's head drooped in shame - she only wanted to have a bit of fun. "What about you two," Velvet asked, moving the subject away from herself and Neo, "did you find any traces of it?"

"We tried every route along the path down, took every turn, yet we drew blank after blank."

"Whatever this Grimm is," Fox continued from Coco's feedback, "it's either making long treks to get here and do what it does, or it's extremely good at hiding."

{" _Or it's in somewhere we haven't looked yet._ "}

"Neo we've searched everywhere. Where could this thing possibly be if not up here?" Pink and brown eyes looked directly at the three of them for a few seconds, hoping that they could piece together what she thought was obvious and right in front of them. Sadly, they did not, so with a roll of her eyes she gestured backwards towards the one place none of them did check.

"The alcove..." Velvet said, piecing it together.

{" _If it's not in there, then I have one last option that no one will like, so let's hope it doesn't come to that._ "}

"Neo, you're a genius!" Coco cried, grabbing her and hugging the shorter woman. As Neo started signing again, Velvet looked around them and was the first to notice the dark mist obscuring their surroundings.

{" _Well, you're the one who's meant to come up with the brilliant ideas as our_ _ **leader**_ _, not me,_ "} she teasingly signed after being let go. {" _And don't go celebrating just yet, it may be empty._ "}

"Neo, when have you ever done anything that turned up with poor results?" The woman pondered, trying ever so hard to come up with something, anything, to prove the leader wrong. She couldn't do it. Neo shook her head, admitting defeat, but honestly not feeling too bad about it. "Exactly; no matter what it is you do, you always manage to get a result out of it, so come on." The fashionista adjusted her beret and started walking towards the alcove, an accomplished feeling mute and her boyfriend hot on her tail.

"Coco..." Velvet called timidly, barely audible over the perpetual sound of cascading water to their left.

"What's up cottontail?" Velvet said nothing, instead opting to gesture outwards. "What's out the-" Coco lowered her sunglasses, her world becoming brighter once the lenses were removed from her eyes to get a better view of the horizon. Well, lack thereof. "The fuck?!" They all turned to see a black, Grimm-like mist encroaching on them all from Oum knows where.

"It drifted in suddenly. I don't know where it's coming from, but it doesn't look good, and it's moving fast."

"No kidding. Velv, come on!" The caramel haired girl extended her hand out for her Mate to grab a hold of, not wanting her to be anywhere near whatever it was. It was closing in on them fast, leaving very little of their surroundings clear. They all stood with their backs to each other, circling around a point and hands on their weapons in case anything wanted to attack through the near opaque wall of darkness.

"Coco, a plan would be good right about now!" Fox said, panicking slightly.

"I'm thinking Fox; this is completely new, so I don't have anything I can draw on." The quartet's visibility dropped to 5 metres, and even then, that benchmark was passed in a matter of seconds.

Velvet cried out, saying that "there's no way out of this!"

"I know!" the gunner replied, an air of defeat already in her voice, "but we've got to-"

" ** _~Neo~_** " Everyone froze where they were.

"You all heard that... right?"

~ _Fox, what the fuck was that?_ ~ the mute asked, genuine fear in her inner voice as she hugged her boyfriend's arm, her parasol brandished in her other hand.

"No idea Neo, but we have to stay together no matter wha-"

" ** _~Fox~_** "

"Okay... _that_ is terrifying!" The mist was calling their names, the voices sounded so alluring and friendly, but anything like this was everything _but_ friendly.

" ** _~Fox~_** " it repeated. Neo gasped, recognising the voice now.

~ _Viola... this... this must be the Grimm they fought._ ~

"Guys, Neo says this might be that Grimm. That was Viola's voice." The voice echoed around them, not only mimicking Viola's voice, but now Nylan's, Quentin's, Lulu's.

"The entirety of Team HLQN... it caught them, so it's using their voices as traps to lure us in." Neo opened the camera on her Scroll and took a single photo of the mist, hoping that she could start documenting it. The flash caught something none of them were prepared for. Through the darkness, a silhouette of what they believe to be the Grimm they were after stood there, stalking up to them. The beast appeared to stand nearly 6ft tall, and that seemed to be just the body of it. From its body protruded seven near identical tendrils that waved about the place, and at the very front was a larger protrusion that looked almost like a mouth. Its head appeared round like a saucer, and its eyes glowed ominously red when the camera flash hit them. From the flash, Neo, Coco and Velvet saw ten eyes staring back at them. The sight of the best frightened screams of terror from the girls as they backed off from where they saw it.

"Get to the alcove! Now!" ordered Coco, hastily ushering the other three onwards before making a break for it herself. The Grimm just continued to advance slowly, its entire body still masked by the mist surrounding the place - all except its ten beady eyes staring right at them all.

The four students were puffing and panting when they made it past the mist screen in the alcove and, for all the girls, coughing as well. Normally a run like that wouldn't tire them, but combining the exercise with an adrenaline rush from being petrified by that Grimm that was now wearing off meant that they could do nothing more than pant. Fox was about to speak when the monster roared at them. Its sound was unlike anything they'd ever heard; it wasn't like any of the normal Grimm, nor was it painfully screechy like the Nuckelavee, but rather it was otherworldly. It sounded like a combination of a bird warbling, a clicking from a dolphin and a roar, and the combination of those sounds sent chills down the smaller two girls' spines. Fox's face crunched up, something seemed familiar about that sound.

Rather than dwell on that, he stated another fact. "It's going to be waiting for us, so if there's no other way out then we've already lost."

"Well, we know it's there, so that's something. We don't know how many of those there are, but I've rarely seen more than one Anomaly Grimm in one place at a time. And because we know those two things, then we only have one option for moving. We need to head deeper into the alcove, hopefully find something interesting."

"Are you insane Coco?!" her Mate cried at her, "I don't want us to d-die because of your curiosity!" Tears started forming in her brown eyes and Coco couldn't stop Velvet from bawling into her shoulder. "I was scared Coco. I was so, so sc-scared. That thing was terrifying and I d-don't want to die Coco!"

"Velvet..."

"If you die, I won't be able to do anything Coco. I love you too damn much to lose you, to replace you! I never could do that!"

"Velvet, sweetie, come on. Would I _ever_ let something like this take you from me? Or me from you? We're in this 'til the very end." Velvet let out one single chuckle as she continued to cry, less intensely than before, but crying all the same. "I heard that," Coco mentioned with a smile.

"It's true though," she managed, wiping a few tears away.

"Didn't doubt you for a second," Coco replied as she kissed her little cottontail between the ears. "And besides, I felt that you were being genuine anyway."

"Sorry..."

"Don't apologise Velvs, it's not a bad thing that-" a tentacle crashed against the wall right by the entrance and that signalled that their little pitstop time had come to an end and that they needed to dive deeper into the cave in hopes for answers and/or a way out. What they didn't see was the creature melting away into the spring, removing the mist from the area and bringing the blue sky back but conversely staining the blue water a deep inky black with its form, leaving only a lump of yellow floating down the stream of black into the darkness.

The pools of water on the floor littered the path that they were taking. Every step caused a splash, and every splash echoed around the place. The alcove dropped down to another smaller pool of water that glowed with an eerie green light from the bioluminescent algae growing at the bottom of it. The fashionista marvelled at the sight, taking a break to wash her face with the water.

~ _This feels wrong,_ ~ Neo mentioned to Fox, ~ _we have to get out._ ~

~ _Agreed._ ~ "Coco, Neo says we can't keep going this way, we need to leave."

"I'm trying to find us a way out, but similarly we need to find whatever is going on with that thing. We know it can mimic the sounds of HLQN, but why them? That's why we need to go deeper."

{" _But something seems amiss Coco,_ "} Neo replied, 'speaking' for herself this time. {" _This whole place seems weird to me and I'd rather leave now and come back later._ "}

"But we're here _now_ , why not try and get something done now? Just to see what that thing does with the people it captures, because if HLQN and Jade's parents are anything to go by, it doesn't kill. But why?" Neo hated not getting her way, so she crossed her arms and sulked slightly. "Neo, we'll be as quick as we can, I promise. I just want to see what's going on." Coco got up to try and reassure the mute, but the tri coloured woman pushed past her and walked deeper into the cave network that they had now entered. Fox went after her immediately, Coco and Velvet brought up the rear after a few seconds to give the other couple a bit of a head start, the Faunus huddling right up to her Mate a jittering mess.

"Ni, what is up with you?" he asked, catching up to her. She stared at him, fire in her eyes like he'd rarely seen before. But suddenly, the fire faded and the soft expression he'd grown to know over the years returned.

~ _What happened? Why are we in a cave?~_

"Neo, do you remember anything from the last fifteen minutes?"

~ _I remember Coco saying to get to the alcove, so we ran through the mist, then we were here... right?_ ~ This didn't make sense to Fox at all. A growl from the monster could be heard.

"It's gaining," he told Neo, "Coco we need to book it, stat!"

"Why? What's happening?" Velvet uttered through near chattering teeth.

"Nothing's wrong Velvet, we've got to keep going. Fox is just scared and is trying to take as long as possible on this thing. The deeper we go, the closer we are to getting to the bottom of this. Let's just see where it takes us."

~ _What is up with them?_ ~ Neo queried. Fox simply shook his head, not knowing the answer. The four of them continued further down, hoping to find more clues as to what was going on in here. Neo's head pounded something rotten, like a swarm of Nevermores were all living inside of her head pecking away at the inside to fight their way out, but the one thing they were thankful of was the fact that the beast seemed to be losing ground on them. A few minutes later, Fox heard the sound of cascading water and shot on ahead to find the waterfall that lead out to 'The Harvest'.

"The waterfall! Guys, we can get out here." Fox turned to see the three of them not paying attention at all; Velvet cowering in fear and Coco holding her hands as Neo's blade was held directly to the fashionista's throat. "What the hell?! Neo what has gotten into you?"

~ _She wants to go deeper into the caves, and it is a stupid idea!~_

"Coco, why do you want to go deeper into the caves?"

"It's cool Fox, that's why. We can explore the caves, find the people that were taken, save the day."

"Okay, something has definitely happened to _all_ of you. This isn't what you are normally like at all. Velvet, you've improved your confidence so much since I've known you and it's gotten nearly to the point where people wouldn't even know about that if you didn't tell them. You would have never relapsed like this, and even then, you've never been this scared before." Her response was to hide some more. "Coco, you have plans galore. You seldom 'go with the flow', especially when facing a Grimm we have no idea about."

"But where's the fun in that?"

"There is no fun to be had, this is a serious mission. We're all being paid good Lien to complete this, and I _know_ that you wouldn't think twice about putting the mission as lower priorities than personal treks." His attention turned to his girlfriend. "And Neo, you've never been this angry. You've threatened people before, sure, but you've always been in control. This is... unbridled anger, directed at us. Why are you a-" Fox spotted something moving in the shadows, approaching fairly fast. "It's here, run!" He grabbed Coco's and Velvet's hands and ran towards where he saw the waterfall. Neo, surprisingly, followed with very little hesitance. He got to the edge, but saw that they weren't at 'The Harvest's' edge, but were still a good seven or eight metres up. Fox didn't know what to do, but the sounds of the monster grew ever more present even over the rushing water. "Neo, grab Coco and jump on 'three', alright?" The mute rolled her eyes, unwilling to co-operate. "Just do it!" he demanded, grabbing Velvet in a hug. "On three, ready?" The roar that came from behind them was too close for comfort, so he skipped the niceties. "Three!" They jumped through the water with their teammates in tow, landing in the lake with a heavy splash.

Coco's beret was the first thing to surface, floating peacefully away from the waterfall. Coco came up next, gasping for air and searching around for her sunglasses and beret. She found the latter and started swimming towards it as Neo and Velvet surfaced. Fox floated up last, and Neo's eyes shot to vanilla white when she saw the cut across his forehead.

~ _Fox, are you alright?_ ~

"I'm fine," he said, unaware of the cut above his eye that seemed to be bleeding quite heavily. "Something happened in there that's honestly confusing me. We've got to talk about it," he told them when they reached him. Coco grabbed her beret and put the wet accessory atop her head, grinning as she did so, then instantly regretting it as cold water dripped down the back of her collar and straight down her spine.

"At least I got one of them back," she uttered, looking for the silver lining in all of this. The moment she finished, the roar could be heard once again; that warble/click roar the Grimm makes. "What in the hell?" Fox noticed that they all looked like this was the first time that they had heard this noise, despite the fact they all heard it multiple times whilst in the alcove and deeper into the cave.

"Can we get out of the lake please?" Velvet asked as she started treading water to stay afloat.

"Yeah, lets," Fox replied, wiping his brown and frowning at the crimson stain left behind, "but we have some serious talking about this thing to do."


	31. Forming Rifts

CFVN were wrapped up their gowns with mugs of their favourite hot beverages in hand, the gowns working their magic and heating up in such a way to dry their respective owners. Yatsuhashi and Jade had joined them as well, especially as Yatsuhashi needed to know as part of their team. Jade kind of tagged along, but she brought her own drink, just so she didn't feel like she was being waited on. They sat in relative silence save the sound of sips from their mugs as the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the floor.

"So," Fox started, the cut just above his right now plastered up much to the boy's chagrin - he hated plasters, "what do you actually remember about anything?"

"Mist," Velvet muttered, "I remembered that dark mist closing in, then a flash of light and then all of a sudden I was wrapped in your arms hitting the water."

"I'm the same," Coco admitted, "though I came too with no beret on my head, and no sunglasses on. And I've lost those now in the bottom of that lake; it's a good thing I brought all those spares..."

{" _There was mist, I took a photo, suddenly I was in the cave with you._ "}

"Wait... we went in a cave?" Yatsuhashi shared a concerned look with Fox on hearing Coco say that.

"You can't remember you went in a cave at all?" Jade asked. Coco just shook her head, and Velvet mentioned the same thing. "Neo, what about you?"

{" _Like I said, I remembered being in the cave, we were walking for a while - 10, 15 minutes maybe - before I was woken up by the cold water of the lake._ "} The Mates collectively slumped in their seats knowing how long they missed. Their Marks glowed on their shoulders as emotions flowed through one into the other, but they were both feeling the same sort of feelings.

_Disappointment. Shame._

"What happened?" Velvet asked, "Why is it that we can't remember a thing, but you can remember everything in full and Neo in fractured parts? There has to be something." Even as she spoke, it was evident that the mage was trying to convince herself as well as everyone else. Fox took a sip of his drink, coffee with a splash of milk, rested it on the floor and recounted the events up at the 'Summer Spirit'.

"So, we regrouped after trekking in pairs to find any trace of this mysterious Grimm, that much I'm sure you all remembered?" The girls, excluding Jade, all nodded. "And the mist, you've said you remember that?" Another round of nods. "Right, so after the mist surrounded us, Neo took a photo hoping to get a glimpse of the thing, and you and Velvs screamed at something, I'm assuming the Grimm. You ordered us into the alcove, and that's where things started getting a little bit odd." Neo cocked her head, curious as to what happened. "You all were coughing, then you started acted... exaggerated. Coco, you were overly curious and carefree, to the point where you didn't care about our safety."

"I... what?"

"Yeah, you were insisting we went deeper and deeper into the caves to 'explore' and 'be the hero'." The fashionista blushed heavily at that. "Velvet was scared at everything; not like you used to be though, much worse."

"Really?" she asked, her voice quiet and embarrassed at the idea of her being so scared again after doing so much work to improve ever since Beacon.

"Really. You were cowering behind Coco, and nearly every opportunity you got to say something, you were reminding us how scared you were. And Neo," he turned to his girlfriend, "you were angry. You were throwing tantrums and lashing out, to the point where you..." he stopped himself, favouring to show her rather than tell. He got up and moved over to Coco, then lowered the gown ever so slightly to expose the base of her neck, revealing to all the small wound inflicted by the parasol wielding woman.

With a look of terror on her face at the mere thought of hurting her friend, all Neo managed to sign was a simple {" _Was that... me?_ "}

"Yeah," he answered, nigh reluctantly.

{" _First or second time?_ "} Everyone else looked slightly confused at that question, especially Jade. Fortunately, her Partner was translating whatever Neo said to everyone her so that she didn't get excluded from the conversation.

"Second."

The ice cream girl noticed most of the people there were looking at them without a clue as to what they were talking about. ~ _I think you should explain what I mean, you have the full story._ ~ Fox wordlessly nodded.

"Neo at one point stormed past you, so I went after her and looked her dead in the eye, only to be met with a ferocity unlike I've ever seen in her eyes before. But as I stared harder, it faded, and she came back, unsure of anything that had transpired between the mist up top and now nearly 20 minutes later." Coco and Velvet looked at each other once again, realising now that they had been under the influence of the Grimm's abilities for over half an hour and feeling pretty helpless about it. "We walked some more, having established that she didn't remember a thing, but when I found a way out, I turned back and Neo had swapped back to this anger. At this point, she had her blade at your throat," he indicated to the mark, "and was threatening to hurt you for suggesting that we continued any further. A sneaking suspicion tells me that she would have followed you though, just as much as Velvet was going to despite her terror."

"What makes you say that Fox?" The tan skinned boy turned to his taller partner who posed him the question. With no concrete proof, Fox initially shrugged before giving his reasons.

"I mean, I'm pretty certain it was the Grimm that did that to you - how, we have yet to find out - but because the thing was following us from afar, it knew that we were going to do that. Only when we stopped did it gain on us, because it thought we'd got lost or couldn't move anymore, so it went it to take us to... wherever it takes those that go missing. I'm assuming deeper into the caves, that's where Coco was leading us." The group let it all sink in.

"I think I have some idea then," the giant hypothesised, drawing his teammates' attention, "it did something to all of you, correct? All excluding Fox for reasons we have yet to discover. And in doing that it must have done something very deliberate."

"Fox, what happened to Velvet again?" the greenette asked, wanting to contribute to the conversation.

"She... she was scared. Scared of practically everything, from the small to the totally necessary she was cowering behind things out of fear."

"Way to lay it on..." the Faunus in question semi-joked.

"Jade does have a point though Velvet," Yatsuhashi countered, "you were so scared of everything because it _made_ you scared and fearful of everything. In doing so, it amplified a primal negative emotion - fear - almost as if it was creating a homing beacon for it using you at the source. And what better way to create fear than by giving you something constant to fear. Someone to bring it out." Eyes drifted to Neo, who started to realise what was being said here. "Your anger was a driving force to keep Velvet fearful, to keep the beacon working almost."

"And that lines up," came Fox with his own observations, "the Grimm - which by the way, we're going to be needing a name for it if we're submitting a report on this thing - lost us and seemingly gave up the chase once Neo had snapped out of it. Not much was fuelling Velvet's fears, so naturally they'd fizzle out. It also explains why when I found our out by means of the waterfall it came charging in; it had lost its prey and when it found us again it was done waiting around and just went in."

"But if you just- _we_ jumped from where we were into the water, why didn't it follow?"

The scarred young man answered honestly. "Not a clue Coco. Not a clue."

"Also, what about me? It made me into a 'be a hero' type person. Why?" Before Fox could voice his suggestion, it was actually Neo who jumped in first, with Yatsuhashi still translating for Jade.

{" _You're our team leader,_ "} began the tri coloured woman, {" _so naturally we'd follow you and it must have picked up on that. But as for why it did that, I'm assuming it made you entranced on a goal, fixated on getting somewhere._ "}

"You _were_ going on and on about saving everyone, so I guess it made you focussed on that?"

"No, it _did_." Everyone turned to Jade. "It made you go straight into its trap, leading you deeper and deeper into the mountain, drawing you towards where it keeps its victims and, when you're eventually down there, it strikes and takes you. I-it swaps you out for the old ones and uses you to fuel its hunger." The neon green of the woman's eyes grew misty as tears welled.

"Jade, are you-"

"Juliette went there one day - up to 'Summer Spirit' - and I went with her," the woman continued, ignoring all attempts to ease her emotions, "but I needed to use the restroom. When I came back, Juliette had fled down into the cave system via the alcove. I followed as best as I could and found the place that... thing kept everyone it took. I saw her struggling so hard, so I tried to get her down. All I did was make noise and draw its attention, so I needed to run. In doing so I..." the tears were in full force and guilt bled from every word she spoke. Velvet looked at Yatsuhashi, worried about both her and him as the gentle giant's panic grew on his face, "I ran from it all. But I didn't stay away. Juliette is..." As much as Jade trusted CFVN, she didn't trust them to the same level as she did the Y of the team, so withheld from the complete truth, "a special person, someone who _couldn't_ be kept there. So, I went and... did the one thing I've regretted most from my entire existence."

"Jade?"

"I found someone else."

"You what?!" Coco snapped back, unintentionally scaring her Mate but getting her point across effectively.

"I went back to the resort and found someone else!" she reiterated, her reply shouted at the leader with a harshness not seen in the woman before. "I came back to the resort and enlisted the help of someone who was there on their own with no one waiting for them elsewhere! They told me that they were there for a few more days before they would take all their possessions, sell them on and then walk off and wait for the Grimm to come and end their suffering. I... tricked them, saying that he could do one last good deed before he did that, so I took him back there and g... got him caught by the beast." Coco, Yatsuhashi, and surprisingly Neo as well, looked at the woman mortified with what she had done, whereas Fox and Velvet watched her sympathetically break apart and spill everything. "As he was being caught up top, I made my way down to the cavern it kept people and took Juliette. We fled and survived, and I'm thankful for that, but I regret what I did every single day because I don't know what happened to him."

Team CFVYN were silent, letting the events spoken to them sink in. Jade Celadon, this woman that they had become friends with, sacrificed one person to save another.

"I can't believe you," their beret totting leader finally said in nothing more than a harsh whisper, only for it to pick up immediately afterwards, "you lead someone to that place to die just so Juliette could live?"

"Come on Coco, that's a little bit ha-"

"I don't want you sticking up for her Velv; she _killed_ someone!"

{" _So have I!_ "} Neo signed with as much ferocity as she could manage. {" _I spent_ _ **years**_ _killing, yet I was welcomed into our little family. Jade here kills_ _ **one person**_ _, and suddenly she's the villain? Coco, I know you're sticking with what you feel is right, but it's not one set of rules for us, another for everyone else - by that logic, I wouldn't even be close to you. And neither would Yatsuhashi._ "} It was a low ball she really didn't want to pitch, but at the end of the day her point needed to be heard and it felt like the only way for the leader to see reason. Surprisingly for the dual haired woman, Coco listened.

"Jade, please understand I didn't mean it," she began, "I assure you it was simply shock and my heart speaking before my head got a chance to hear reason."

"I'm not going to pretend a simple apology makes up for it, but similarly I understand; it's how this whole thing happened, right?" Her voice sounded hurt, so Yatsuhashi rested a hand on her shoulder for comfort. Jade leaned into him from there, resting her head on his chest, a move he warmed to over a couple of seconds as opposed to instantly, but it still made her feel safer. Coco huddled up to Velvet, not wanting to be alone through her guilt.

"Do you remember looking at it?" Fox asked, easing them out of their silence once more. Not answering with words, the woman nodded. "Okay... what did you see?"

"Tentacles... very little bony bits... I saw everything but the face."

~ _Neo, can I borrow your Scroll?_ ~ She nodded and passed it over. "This is what it looks like." Jade looked at it, then recoiled slightly at the sight of it. Yatsuhashi didn't look too pleased to see it either.

"Yeah, that looks about right."

"Can I see?" Velvet asked. Fox's eyebrows rose at the request.

"Didn't... didn't you see it when you were up there?"

"Fox, we've been over this, I don't remember anything from the moment Neo took the photo of it."

"And Neo, did you actually _see_ it with your eyes?"

~ _No, only through..._ ~ guessing from the pause, Fox assumed that she was catching on as well, {" _only through the camera on my Scroll,_ "} she finished so that everyone else could see. The tanned boy let the information process.

"Right, I might have an inkling as to what that thing can do and how we might be able to stop it, but we're going to need rest and everyone in their right frame of mind. Let's do this tomorrow." Jade took that opportunity to rise and left immediately, sniffling as she left. Yatsuhashi went to go but was held down. "Yatsu, you need to give her some space, let her figure it out for a while herself. She'll come to us, to you, when she's ready." He wanted to be there for her now, but he heeded his more romantically experienced brother and stayed with his team.


	32. Neo to the Rescue

Neo hadn't done much exploring of the resort. At least, not on her own. She could tell someone where to get Jin Shin Jyutsu, or where the sauna room was, but not much more, and even then, with the lack of a voice it became a little difficult. That made what she was currently doing just that little bit more difficult, considering she didn't know much of the resort and she had no clue where Jade would be. Fortunately, there was one person she knew who might.

"Why do I 'need' to do that Neo?" Maron asked, "she is a customer much like you. Giving out a key to her room is removing the privacy she is entitled to." It was established earlier on in their stay that Maron knew some very rudimentary Sign Language, but not enough to hold a conversation with someone as adept as Neo, or any of the rest of Team CFVYN, so the mute woman relied on using her Scroll to communicate to the receptionist.

**She's upset, and I'm going to be there to comfort her**

"Yes, but I don't see why I need to give you access to _her_ room for you to do that."

**It's safe ground for her, so she feels more comfortable**

"I can't fault you on that, I must say, but I don't want to be cleaning up your mess afterwards because things go pear shaped." Heterochromia swapped to pink and her eyes lit up with delight on hearing that, their owner rushing to type out her response.

**Does that mean that was a yes? :)**

"Yes," the byzantine eyed contact relented, "I will give you access to Jade's room. But you must promise me that she stays safe." Glee left Neo for a minute as she tried to understand the meaning behind that.

**Has something happened before?**

"Nothing that I am willing to repeat, but yes." She took the ice cream girl's Pass and did a couple of things with it, then gave it back to her once she was done. "That should give you access to the room she uses most. Hopefully she'll be in there for you, else have you tried the salt pools?" Neo shook her head. "Try there first, if she's not there and not in her room then I can't think where she might be." Neo signed a simple 'Thank You', one of the few things Maron understood, and wandered off to the room, foregoing the salt pool altogether. One problem: she had no idea where Room 14N was, and Maron had disappeared off back to work.

 _Oh well, trial and error it is then,_ she rationalised.

Neo started by heading from the reception area back to Team CFVYN's two rooms; 3F and 3H. So from that, she knew that the letter at the end denoted how far down the corridor they were going. Looking on the other side of the hall, she saw rooms 3E, 3G and 3I. Each letter meant a different side of the corridor - another helpful bit of information. Now, would that still apply throughout the resort?

Neo took a walk, taking in a bit more of the layout now that she could do so freely. There were a lot of places in this resort that were very nice: hot stone rooms, sauna rooms, ice pools, a couple of bars and small restaurants spread out over the multiple buildings, even a small - yet very crowded - natural spring inside the main building, aptly named 'The Equator' Spring. But even walking around in a pair of white shorts, pink bikini top and her unfairly comfortable gown she couldn't stay to gawk at what was offered here, both in terms of amenities and the people using them, for too long as she had other business to do. Although in her defence, she needed to check to see if Jade was anywhere in the crowds.

Neo arrived in the fifth building in the resort, a smaller building than the other three she'd walked through to get here, and finally saw corridor 14. It wouldn't take too long to get there from their rooms, probably 5 minutes if you were making a beeline for them and not looking for people throughout all the buildings along the way. Turning down it, she saw Room 14Y on one side and 14Z on the other side, so she continued walking down the corridor finally reaching Room 14N. It wasn't a daunting task, but she took a heavy breath anyway to ready herself.

_Here goes nothing._

Neo raised her Pass to the lock outside the door and was relieved to hear the soft click when the door registered it. She gently eased the door open and stepped inside, revealing a room nearly identical to the ones that the team were staying in, albeit ever so slightly smaller due to it being only a single bed room. The tell-tale pear green bob faced away from the entrance and outside on the small balcony, hair blowing slightly in the late afternoon breeze. The sliding door was open at the back, so Neo tiptoed her way through the room making no noise whatsoever and got right behind Jade without her noticing. Whilst the sight of Jade leaning down onto the railing with her bum sticking out slightly was rather alluring, Neo knew she wasn't here to be thinking that sort of thing, she was here to help.

The mute delicately snaked her arms around the greenette's middle and hugged her from behind, her touch gentle and reassuring but still firm enough to provide comfort without having it seem like she was skimping on the hug. Surprisingly, Jade didn't back away or try and shake her off, but instead held onto the arms around her.

"I don't know why you're doing this," Jade started once the embrace had gone on for a minute or two in silence, "but I appreciate it now." She turned around only to be slightly taken aback when she saw Neo there. "Oh! That, I wasn't expecting. How'd you get in here?" Neo took out her Scroll and typed up her response.

**I asked Maron to give me access. I told her you were upset and that I was going to help**

Jade seemed a little startled at what the tri coloured woman was saying, she never expected one of them to come and help her like this. Even Yatsuhashi looked scared at what she had said. "How can you help?" Neo started typing, but Jade continued. "I made a choice, one that I know is going to haunt me until the day I die. I lead a man to his apparent death, all in an effort to save Juliette. How is one life worth more than the life of another?" Neo paused and watched as tears started to fall, the emotions coming back to the taller yet younger woman. Her eyes started glowing a strong neon green and Neo felt the sadness spilling from her. She copied what she had written, then removed it and typed up something new.

**Do you love her?**

"What? No. She's just a good friend, and a woman whose secret I know and must shoulder until either of us passes."

**I thought I'd ask, love makes you do crazy things**

"Besides, I have no interest in women."

 **You weren't opposed to the idea of us helping you in** **that** **department when we offered**

Jade blushed hard being reminded of that, the tears subsiding slightly as embarrassment overtook sadness as the stronger emotion of the moment.

**I have been in the same boat as you**

The ice cream girl pasted in her comment from earlier and was now showing it to Jade. Said woman's eyes ceased glowing, letting Neo's emotions remain in her own control, but still looked at the shorter of the two in confusion. Neo held out her hand and walked with Jade to the bed in her room, shutting the sliding door on the way inside. They sat on the bed together, Neo opting to get completely on and sitting cross legged, Jade balancing on the edge with her legs dangling off to the floor. By the time Jade had reached the bed, Neo was already typing up an explanation. "Is there a quicker way to do this?" The mute shrugged, adding something to the end of her sentence before handing the Scroll to Jade for her to read.

**Just over 10 years ago when I was 17, I left home and went into crime. It made things easier for my family due to my illness. I have an extreme case of DAG Syndrome, one that was so potent that combined with the treatment they gave me caused it to flare and destroy my vocal chords entirely**

Jade looked at the woman sitting in front of her and could honestly never imagine this person living a life of crime - she was kind, compassionate, she cared for people and looked out for others, seemingly before looking after herself. The green themed woman read on.

**In the 8 and a half years I spent in that lifestyle, I did my fair share of unsavoury deeds. I stole, I lied, I killed. The number whose lives I've directly ended total around 80 or so. Those who have died indirectly because of my actions may very easily reach three figures. 8.5 years and hundreds of people are dead because of what I was doing to get by, earn money and simply survive.**

The tears that were falling from Neo's eyes weren't brought on by Jade's semblance, these were all her own. Jade read on, every passing second feeling more pained at what she was reading.

**And I regretted it. Every death. I hid my fear and disgust at what I was doing, masking behind a face that relished the kill and grinned at misfortune. But when I was alone, I cried myself to sleep. You made a fair trade. Yes, you may have led a man to his death, but you saved another you deemed worthy of saving. I took lives and never ever saved one in return. I never wanted this to happen when I started, but I was travelling down a path I couldn't escape.**

"How did you escape then?" Jade enquired. Neo simple gestured back to the Scroll, and Jade realised that the answer was most likely written in a following sentence.

**When I died…**

"Wait, what?!" Neo shook her head and pointed to the Scroll once more, urging her to press on. And press on she did, but not without thinking long and hard about the fact that as far as she knows she was speaking to a ghost. _This is crazy!_

**... the world had handed me a reset button. I could start anew, and I did. I went after Fox because I found him quite attractive the last time I met him, and it took a while, but we've been together for a long time now. I haven't done anything like that since; I'm a new person. The guilt remains, even if the burden has gone. It took essentially Divine Intervention to free me from what I had done, but you need to realise that what you did was for the benefit of everyone. I know Juliette is special in some magical way, we figured that much out, so her rescue must have been pretty high priority. Don't let this stop you.**

Jade was staring at the screen with her eyes streaming tears. This woman on her bed, who she had believed to be a kind and gentle person, had killed people - many more than she had thought, and yet she turned out so nice. Jade finished reading what Neo had said.

**The only way this would be faster is if you knew Sign Language**

"Oh, right. Sorry." The mute simply smiled a teary smile, her eyes flitting to dual pink as she did and took her Scroll back to type something up again.

**Coco was in the wrong to shout at you; she was, and still is, pretty raw from having her arse handed to her by a Grimm tentacle monster. I'm the only one who truly knows what that burden is like, to have consciously made the decision to kill someone and how it can affect you if you let it simmer and bubble away. Don't do that, it'll hurt you. Trust Team CFVYN, we're your friends :)**

The smiley face brought a laugh to Jade as she looked at Neo, who was sat opposite her with a smile of her own. "Thank you, Neo. It means a lot." The mute nodded, took the Scroll back and wrote something more.

**I know it's probably not the best time, but cuddling in my underwear is quite a nice way to relax and de-stress**

"You're just saying that to see me in my undies, aren't you?" Neo silently hushed the girl, winking as she did so. Jade sighed at her, then continued, "I'm not stripping down, but I'll take the cuddling." Smiling at the acceptance, Neo shuffled herself so that she was up nearer the pillows, then lay down and faced away from Jade. "This feels weird."

**What does?**

"With Yatsu and I, I am very obviously going to be little spoon even if we haven't done this yet; it's an odd feeling getting to be big spoon."

**Well, even though we tend to split spoon privileges, I'm normally end out being big spoon**

"Huh, Fox didn't seem like that sort of person."

**Trust me, I'm a very heavy Dom - metaphorically, of course. I've been with a fair few people and Fox is the only person who's been on top of me**

"I didn't need to know that..."

**Sure you do. But even so, I will do and go as far as you push: no more, no less. You want to cuddle for hours, I'm down. You want to relieve the tension by having sex until the sunrise, I'll need to grab some things from my room first but I'm up for it**

"You... brought sex toys _here?_ " The petite woman nodded with a cheeky grin on her face. "What were you thinking?"

**That I need to bring a couple of my sex toys with me**

"I don't to be having this conversation with you," Jade mentioned, the slight unease in her voice apparent, "can we stop it now?" Neo nodded, and kept that conversation topic away from her Scroll. But one thing did come to the forefront of the green haired woman's mind. "Why are you helping me?" Neo turned her head around and stared at her like it was the dumbest and most ridiculous question in the world. "I'm serious, why would you help me when anyone else could do the same?"

**Other than the fact you're quite attractive and have a really sturdy bum…**

"How's _that_ relevant?"

**... being alone with those thoughts can hurt your self-esteem and drive. You've so much to live for and see, and I want you to see it all. And as I said, I'm the only one of the team who knows exactly what it was like**

"Okay..." Jade seemed unconvinced. Neo suddenly, and worryingly for Jade, started smirking as she typed up one more thing. Handing over her device with a Cheshire grin, Jade went through Neo's words.

**You need to relax. Don't attack me when I kiss you**

"I'm sorry, wha-" Neo's lips connected with Jade's, staying there for more than a brief moment before the smaller woman pulled away. The greenette remained frozen in disbelief as Neo typed up her reason.

**You can trust me. I did that a) because I could, but b) because you needed that. You've had small gestures from Yatsu like hugs and reassuring words, but other than that you've not had a proper show of affection. That's me making up for his "wrong-doings" there. I am your friend and you can confide in me, or Coco, or Velvet, or Fox if you really wanted to help relieve any and all stress you have whilst we're still here. Yatsu can be your rock, but we can help too. Okay?**

Jade looked at Neo, trying to see if she just typed that up because it sounded philosophical and actuality couldn't care less, but the feeling behind those words were shown in her eyes. "Okay" she parroted, sounding much more convinced this time. The girls lay back down on the bed, Jade the big spoon, and remained there for hours in bliss. Jade rambled every now and again, getting small things off her chest and crying where appropriate to the point that when enough had been said, she felt so much better inside.

After a good three hours of the pair of them alone in the room sorting Jade out, Neo eventually started taking her leave.

"I honestly can't describe how much of a help you've been this evening Neo, thank you." The pair got up and started heading to the door, Neo handing her Scroll over en route.

**Anything for a friend. Any last requests before I shoot off?**

Seeing that made the taller woman freeze, an action Neo saw immediately. She cocked her head to one side, curious as to why this woman she'd been cuddling with for the past three hours was suddenly all flustered in front of her. "I... uh..." Seeing this unease, Neo grabbed Jade's shoulders and stared right into her eyes, telling the green eyed girl to speak her mind. "It's... embarrassing," she admitted. Naturally, the mute shrugged. "Can we... y'know... I mean, not _now_ but... at some point... you said you'd... help me to deal with... _that_..." Neo typed up a response.

**Just say the word, we're all adults here**

Jade steeled her gaze and spoke with conviction. "Can you girls have sex with me?" There was a pause, one that let Jade's ring throughout her mind. "Just to relieve some tension" she added, not wanting her request to sound too desperate. Neo simply grinned, answering as best as she could.

**Ask Yatsuhashi first. Say what you want to do and have him approve it. If you love him like Coco and Velvet or myself and Fox love each other, then going behind his back is a sure fire way to end this thing. I will speak with Fox as well. If he says he's okay, and we will be checking with him, then it's your call for the when. We've got just about two weeks left here, but getting that Grimm is our main aim**

"I understand, and I will" Jade replied. The ice cream girl leaned in to hug Jade goodbye, but the greenette managed to surprise her by planting a caste kiss on the cheek as they leaned in. "Gotcha." Neo smirked, proud that Jade had grown so much and was much more confident around her and the rest of the team, that kiss proving such. She was integrating herself into the midst nicely. As they broke their hug, Neo took her leave and headed back to their shared room. Walking in to 'The Fun Room' to see Coco and Velvet kissing and Fox nowhere to be seen gave her the distinct impression that a certain couple had booked the room in the time she had been with Jade.

"I thought you had everything Fox," Coco grunted in annoyance, breaking the kiss to turn to chastise the scarred boy only to see Neo standing in the doorway instead, "Neo. Where did you go? We didn't have a clue, Fox has been worrying about you for an hour now."

{" _I went to go comfort Jade, she needed reassuring. Sorry I made you all panic._ "}

"Well you're safe, so we can stop worrying." Neo walked towards them, a small smirk gracing her lips. "Could you, y'know, _not_ come closer? We kind of booked the room for a reason." Neo kept getting closer.

"Why do we even bother?" Velvet pondered out loud, earning a shrug from her Mate.

{" _Jade asked me._ "}

"What? About having sex with us?" Neo nodded, her smirk growing.

"And you said what exactly?" Coco enquired.

{" _To ask Yatsuhashi first. I'll speak with Fox too. Once that's all cleared up, she sets the date after we've taken down big, black and slimy up at 'Summer Spirit'._ "}

"Okay, thanks for the heads up Shortcake. Now, fuck off so we can fuck!"

{" _Subtle,_ "} the mute responded, walking up to the fashionista and placing a quick peck on her leader's lips before grabbing her things and heading next door.

"Why do I still love you," Velvet teased, "even after everything you and Neo do?"

"Because Neo and I have our thing, but what you and I have is irreplaceable; I'd never do anything of ill intent behind your back Velvs, you know that." The Rabbit smiled, wordlessly confirming her Mate's comment. "Now, I believe we were about to start something, weren't we?"

"I think we were," the Faunus replied, bringing her girlfriend into a fiery embrace, but not before taking the beret off her head and placing it on her own.


	33. Colette No More

The next morning, everyone met up again after breakfast in the bedroom to discuss the plan. Jade joined them not only to hear what they were going to do, but also so that she could speak with Yatsuhashi afterwards regarding her proposition concerning the three women of the team.

"Okay, run that by me one more time," the leader requested, being on the receiving end of a briefing for once, and the prospect wasn't thrilling her greatly - she hated not having the control. Fox sighed, trying his best but failing to capture Coco's attention, so Oum knows how the others were coping.

"It doesn't like to kill," he began, repeating himself for the second time that morning, "as far as we know from Jade's recount of the story and the fact that Juliette, Team HLQN and Jade's parents are still around, the man is the only known death. It would much rather take the victims and use them like batteries, draining them over time. Why that is, we aren't sure."

"I got that bit," the fashionista admitted, "it was the rest." Yatsuhashi was waiting patiently on one of the beds pseudo-meditating, Velvet was stood by Coco's side, Neo and Jade were sitting on the other bed, the former teaching the latter some basic Sign Language so that they could communicate with a little more ease, leaving Coco and Fox to go through the plan on the little table down the far end of the room.

"So, going off a couple of pieces of evidence we have – more specifically, Jade's story and Neo's photograph of the Grimm – we can safely assume that it's a hypnotic Grimm, preferring to get its victims in a trance and have them go to its nest of 'their own accord' rather than drag them there, and that it trances people with direct eye contact. The only way we know for the trance to be completely broken is a cold shock, so in our case, a jump into 'The Harvest'."

"Uh huh."

" _That's_ why I never got affected when we were up there yesterday; I never saw it. And Jade mentioned she saw everything but its face and she snuck in and out of that place twice, so it must be the direct eye contact. Now, what happened to Neo is where things got interesting. She got hypnotised, making you assume she saw the beast, but she broke from the trance before the icy dip. That's when she told me that she never actually saw the beast, she only caught that small glimpse of it when the camera flashed on the screen of her Scroll. There was never direct line of sight eye contact, which is why direct and prolonged eye contact with me broke it."

"Yeah, got that."

"So, the only way we can defeat this thing is if we kill it without ever looking at it."

"There it is, _that's_ the part that makes no sense to me!"

"Why not?" Yatsuhashi asked, having merely been resting his mind but not to the extent that he couldn't jump back into everyday life with a flick of a metaphorical switch.

"C'mon big guy, use your brain. We can't not look at the thing, it's a big creature and if we can't look at it, we'd be swiping at it in the dark." Coco turned to the ice cream girl behind her. "Hey Shortcake, would you mind getting captured again if it means Fox can get re-blinded? We're going to need a tactical advantage against this thing." Neo glared daggers at the caramel woman, flipping her the bird.

"I know what that one means!" Jade said with mock enthusiasm, breaking Neo's stern look and causing her to silently giggle.

~ _When we have our "Girls' Night In",_ ~ Neo mentioned, her inner thoughts a lot less pleasant than her external demeanour, ~ _I am going to edge her so hard for that comment against you.~_

~ _I wish I could be there to see that,_ ~ Fox replied, imagining Coco being forced close to release before being deprived of the sensation repeatedly was a small payback for years of playful banter directed to him and Neo. It was petty revenge at its best and most sexual. "You may be onto something Coco," he replied having given his thoughts time to disappear lest he say them out loud and ruin the gunner's 'surprise' from Neo later on. "Being blind may be the best case scenario, but it not being able to see us is a close second." The comment drew the remaining two girls from their mini lesson to huddle around the table again, the conversation finally back on track.

"I don't follow Fox. Also, I really don't like being here, why can't I lead?"

"You will be Coco, I'm just presenting, remember?" Coco's Mark glowed, as did Velvet's a split second later.

_Frustration_

"Coco..." the Faunus warned, righting the fashionista's emotional tangent.

"How many pairs of sunglasses do you have with you here?"

Coco's eyes lit up slightly behind her shades at the mention of fashion, proudly stating "I've now got 6 pairs, 7 including the ones on me right now."

"And in terms of durability, how good are they?"

"I mean, my parents' company made them, so I'd say pretty darn durable. They're not the best, mind."

"Mirrored lenses?"

"Oh yeah, and polarized as well to reduce glare."

"Then we're all going to be needing a pair pretty soon; can we borrow one of yours each?"

"What?" That question stopped her happiness dead in its tracks, bringing her down to neutral instantaneously. "Fox, this better not be a joke because of how many sunglasses I pack - we're supposed to be figuring out a plan."

"It's not, and I am. If these lenses are mirrored, then we can see it, but it can't see us. If the Grimm can't see our eyes then it can't hypnotise us, which is exactly what we want and need, your sunglasses are the perfect way of getting around that obstacle."

{" _Fox makes a good point Coco,_ "} Neo added, encouraging Fox some more to know at least one of them thought the idea wasn't completely silly.

"...I guess that it could work." Hearing her confirmation, Fox smiled from ear to ear, cheering in his head at his small victory. "But you're not wearing _my_ sunglasses, any of you." Velvet went to protest, but Coco interrupted before words could leave her mouth. "Good thing it's a Friday, isn't it?" The fashionista got out her Scroll, smugly walking away from the remaining five people in the room as the dial tone went on.

"Coco, what are you-"

* _Good morning, Adel Fashion._ *

"I'd recognise that voice anywhere; hey Dolly."

* _Is that you Coco?_ * the voice on the line asked. She had a Southern Vacuo twang to her voice, and sounded like she was smiling with every word she said.

"Indeed it is, Doll."

* _My gosh Coco, it's been too long! I haven't spoken to you since before you enrolled, how's everything been going at Beacon? You found anyone nice?_ *

"Yeah, Beacon's been fantastic; I'm in my final year now and I'm actually in charge of probably the finest team to ever grace Beacon's Halls." Coco decided to leave out the question about finding someone nice, that conversation topic could drag on for hours if she wanted.

* _Wow, I'm amazed Coco. Honestly, I'm proud of you, you've come a long way from the girl who used to run around the office here._ * The woman, 'Dolly' apparently, let out a little giggle that the others heard, not knowing what on Remnant Coco was up to.

"Yeah. Listen Doll, I'm on a bit of a tight schedule; my team and I are currently on a mission and we need something, so could you ping us through to the top please?"

* _Certainly. We must catch up again soon._ *

"Yeah, I'll speak to you soon Dolly."

* _Bye Coco!_ * As hold music started, Coco thought now was the best time to explain how her mind was working.

"I thought, seeing as you're not wearing my sunglasses, we might as well get you all a pair for yourselves. A sturdier pair as well, if that's alright. We want these things to last against that Grimm." Coco's eyes shifted from the team to Jade, smiling at her. "I can get you a pair too Jade, as an apology for how I acted yesterday, if you'll accept it."

"Yes!" she replied a little too hastily, slamming her hands over her mouth at the response she made. The action made CFVN laugh, whilst Yatsuhashi simple smiled sweetly and placed a hand on her shoulder.

* _Hello, this is Kara Adel._ * Coco's breath hitched ever so slightly hearing the new woman on the line, but she steadied herself and answered.

"H-hi, Mom."

* _Colette? Well, this **is** a surprise._*

"Where's Dad, I thought he worked in the office on Fridays?"

* _He's off on a trip at the moment, I've taken up some overtime up here to cover him. If you kept in touch more often, you would know these things._ * Coco glared at the screen, hoping her displeasure with speaking to her mother would transfer through the device for the older woman to see. * _Now, as much as I want to think this is a call to catch up with your mother, I assume it's not. Correct?_ * The way Coco's mother spoke reminded the five others present of Coco in many ways, only Kara Adel seemed far more business orientated than her daughter.

"Yeah, you got me," the young fashionista admitted, "it's for business though."

* _Actual business? Or Huntsman-related 'business'?_ *

"I've told you before, being a Huntress is a genuine profession. Without us, the world would be overrun with Grimm, more so than it is now. And yes, it's for Huntsman-related business."

* _I see. So, what is it now?_ *

"Well, we've got this Grimm we're going to be facing soon and we've learnt that we can't look directly at it. I was hoping, if I sent you through sizes, you could get six pairs of Mirror Lens Dravite Sunglasses?"

* _Dravite?_ * the woman practically scoffed at the prospect, * _Colette Adel, you know better than that; the Dravite is notoriously difficult to match with everyone's style. You want to get them-_ *

"Fine, then Dravite _strength_ Frames. Mom, this thing isn't something to take lightly, we need the sturdiest frames we have so that it doesn't break these things - regardless of how they look."

* _I thought I raised you better Colette, looking your absolute best is adamant at all times._ *

"Agreed, but not when practicality takes precedence, as it does here. And I've told you countless times, it's _Coco_."

* _Well, I certainly wouldn't want to impede on your duties as an aspiring Huntress, **Coco** ,_* the name was said with venom, something everyone picked up on. Even Velvet's temper flared at hearing her Mate's chosen name said with such disgust, though that may have also been in part to the pair's Marks glowing and emotions being sent and shared as well, * _I'll get them sent through as soon as I possibly can. Give me sizes and an address, I should be able to get someone to find them all and delivered by tomorrow afternoon._ *

"Thank you, mother."

* _Is that all from you?_ * she asked, her voice clearly hoping it was.

"Yes, that's all. Thanks aga-"

* _Good. Sorry to shoot off like this-_ * she wasn't, *- _but I have a meeting with the stock team in 5 and I fear I may be late. Goodbye._ * The line went dead before Coco could utter her goodbyes. Her Scroll was hurled to the bed, the frustration from the conversation evident in her action.

"I hate that woman sometimes, I really do." The Faunus went up and hugged Coco, comforting her as best as she could.

"I'm proud of you Coco, that took courage."

"I was hoping it was Dad..." she admitted. "I like Dad..." The sudden vulnerability and frailness of the usually bubbly and carefree fashionista after speaking with her mother shook the team slightly. Only Velvet knew about the relationship between Coco and Kara in great detail; Coco trusted Velvet with her life and was spending the rest of her life with her anyway, and as such let a lot of this information out. Fox and Yatsuhashi, and eventually Neo, knew only that their relationship was rocky and to never bring it up. Jade however...

"Your name's actually Colette?" Jade enquired timidly, knowing how raw Coco might be and honestly expecting the worst. The look Velvet gave her made the green haired woman shrink back in an effort to avoid confrontation with the wild-card of Team CFVYN.

"Yeah," came the answer from Coco, shocking her Mate at the discussion of a sensitive subject for her, "I insisted my friends called me 'Coco' when I was starting Combat Schools to differentiate myself from the woman my mother wanted me to be, then I changed it legally at 16 - so one year before I attended Beacon. Everyone since has only known me as Coco, so it wasn't too hard for them to call me that. The only one who has a hard time understanding that is my mother, and despite the fact she knows my name is now legally Coco Adel, she still calls me Colette to spite me. Even Dolly and my Dad adjusted!" The fashionista felt her anger flowing, so she calmed herself down slightly and spoke one last time. "Everyone else knows not to bring her or my real name up, as it reminds me _of_ her. You didn't, so you get a pass. But don't ever bring this up again." Not risking angering her anymore, all Coco got was a nod from Jade. "Good. Now, we need sizes from you for your glasses; might as well have them fitting you properly."

After a few minutes getting everyone's sizes for their glasses, which she admitted were basically all the same save bridge width, Coco went off on her own to send the information off telling everyone else that they wouldn't get here until tomorrow at the earliest, so use today to relax and they'll run through the plan again later that evening. Naturally, Velvet followed Coco after a couple of minutes, and Jade left with Yatsuhashi to ask him something that was very important, leaving Neo alone in the room with Fox.

"What's your plan today then?"

~ _I'm going to need a lot of massages after we're done fighting that thing, so... sauna?_ ~

"Sounds like a plan," ~ _though I thought you would have wanted some **other** way of working up a sweat._~

~ _Fox Alistair,_ ~ she replied, feigning surprise and disgust, ~ _I am not some sort of animal that craves sex every waking moment._ ~

"Uh huh, tell that to your libido."

~ _Fuck you._ ~

"Point proven."

* * *

If there was one thing Coco and Velvet loved doing together at places like these, it was Mani-Pedi. They could sit back and relax whilst other people made them look even more gorgeous than usual, and any chance to do just that was taken with both hands.

"Coco?"

"Yes cottontail?"

"Why did you do that?" It had been a good half an hour since Velvet had met up with her girlfriend after their meeting and they'd come here, and at all attempts prior the caramel coloured girl was avoiding the question completely. Not this time.

_Anxious. Embarrassed._

"Velvet, can we not do this right now?" she pleaded, gesturing with her head towards the girls currently working on their toenails. Their Marks glowed.

_Determined. Driven._

"No, we're doing this now, and I don't care how you feel about the subject. There was a reason, I just want to hear it. You don't just do that hun - so why did you?" Unobstructed by their usual barrier of sunglasses, Coco's brown eyes darted everywhere, focussing on anything that wasn't her partner. "Coco please, talk to me."

"If you would like," one of the staff said having been privy to the entire conversation along with his colleague, "we can leave you for 10, 15 minutes. Sound alright?"

The fashionista would have told them not to bother and they would have just 'postponed' the talk until later, again and again until Velvet either forgot the question or realised she wasn't getting the answer and dropping it altogether, but Velvet was quicker to the verbal draw, saying that "it would be much appreciated", and so they left the mini Main-Pedi room they were in. The very instant the door shut, the Faunus jumped from her chair and walked over to her Mate, smacked her hand against the back head rest of the chair preventing the gunner from escaping, and said one word to her in a firm yet manner; "Talk."

It was seldom that the Adel was afraid of anything. Despite her often blatant reluctance to do so on occasions, Coco had to admit that Kara did a good job of instilling that ideology into her at a younger age - at least that was one of a very short list of things she was proud she had inherited from her mother. Even if she would normally be shaking in her boots, she would never let that show. A strong outer image made her look confident (even if she wasn't), which in turn made her inner fears lessen until she had an outlet to express this anger at/on.

But here, Coco Adel _was_ afraid; not by Grimm, nor anyone from her parents' company coming to sign a business contract that required her signature (the prospect of that happening was few and far between, but not an alien occurrence when she's been 'relaxing on holiday'), but it was the assertiveness of Velvet Scarlatina as she leaned intimidatingly close to Coco's face, to the point where the only feasible way to get any closer was to be inside on another.

"I..." the woman with the caramel tipped hair stalled as best as she, but it was in vain. Coco recognised the impatient expression growing on Velvet's face - much like the one that more often than she'd liked was plastered over her own - and she even felt that familiar never-give-up attitude coursing through her own body and into the woman opposite her. ' _I'm still in awe at how our Auras can work like this_ ' she admitted to no one bar herself, readying herself for the questions that would undoubtedly start coming. "I take it 'I wanted everyone to look good' isn't going to cut it, huh?" Understandably, and rather predictably, the rabbit Faunus simply shook her head. What was a tad more _un_ -predictable was how Velvet gently cupped her girlfriend's cheek and placed a soft, reassuring kiss on the fashionista's lips, then scooted her over slightly to sit on the same seat. She elected not to cuddle up to the other, but she didn't think that Coco would mind that too much this time.

"Just take your time Coco," she reassured. "But not too much time, they've only given us 15 minutes."

"Oum," the elder of the two chuckled, "what wonders come when our personalities collide."

"Yeah, it's awesome. Though it is a bit of a downgrade, what with me getting parts of you in me." Coco's chuckle from before grew to a proper laugh.

"Okay, you definitely have my self-confidence, that's for sure." The playful wink the Rabbit made not only gave confirmation to that statement, but also acted as a way to shift the conversation away from this tangent and back to Coco's explanation as to why she got custom-made sunglasses for everyone in the team, and even got Jade a pair as well. "Mom and I haven't been on the best of terms lately."

"Don't need to be an expert to figure that one out," Velvet quipped back, shocked slightly to see the girl who would normally be up for a bit of light banter staring at her like she had committed a crime against her kind. After the quick apology she gave, she noted to herself to cease the quipping and let Coco explain.

"It's not like I've told you before though, it's... well, it's so much worse. We've fought before, there's no denying we've had our disagreements and struggles and differences of opinion - heck, 'Colette or Coco' is still a favoured game of hers. But this is bigger than all of that, and you are honestly lucky you caught me now, because I don't think I could have been caught if I had started falling." Coco shifted into Velvet's embrace, clearly in need of some comfort. "It's not effective immediately, but the basic gist of why I did that is because Mom has effectively removed me from the position I held in the company."

"Coco, are you-"

"Her reasoning behind it," she continued, "was that 'If you're fighting monsters, then you're not selling the product. And if you're not doing that, you're not worth keeping on the payroll.' So, she did just that; she struck me from it. Sure, it was only a part-time model role that paid me 5 Lien an hour for 7 hours a day just for wearing and endorsing the product outside of the company, but it was income that had gone from what it was to nothing with the signing of paper. Thankfully, Dolly actually cares for me, as does Dad, so the second they found out they fought in my corner. Mom tried her hardest to convince them to drop me, 'it wasn't like what I was doing was brought in any benefits for Adel Fashion' - her words - but Dad and Dolly won through in the end. They barely managed, but they did."

"What did they do?"

The taller girl huddled a little closer as she continued, her voice shaking more and more as time progressed. "They told me to leave and do as my Mom said, because that way it keeps her happy. They had a plan, but she didn't need to know that. Anything to get at Kara really, so I bid my formal goodbyes to the staff about a week before we came back of Summer. This was the Tuesday before, remember that." Velvet gave a brief nod of confirmation. "With the exception of any Huntress jobs that would have been available for someone like me between now and graduation from Beacon, I would have been without my own source of income until such a time as we became Huntresses.

"But on Friday, about an hour or so before we met up to come back, Dolly called me up and explained what her and Dad had done. The two of them had arranged that Dad booked out a simple sum of every day from his work account to a new account - I think it's something like 25 Lien, nigh untraceable and a minute speck on the radar in the grand scheme of things, considering the only thing that sells _less_ than 25 Lien are 'basic' underwear, some socks and the odd bra - and, after a week, that account is emptied into another account. After every four weeks, _that_ account is transferred into mine. So, I'm at about 500 Lien a month coming in from Dad 'off the books' as it were, just until I start making it on my own properly. Dad knows that this life isn't easy, and he knows that I am technically a student with next to no time for another job, so he does his best. It's not a lot, but it's enough I think. He supports me, which is more that I can say for Kara.

"But with the sunglasses, Dad wouldn't have been able to just let them go, so I would have had to pay for them as per normal. However, he would have transferred part of money back to me as per employee discounts over a longer period of time, adding an extra 5 Lien in a day or something until it was all paid off, then bringing it down back to 25 a day. But Kara's in the mix now; she knows about that transaction and she will be monitoring it like a damned hawk. I'm just worried that she discovers it and it all comes crashing down. Dad and Dolly did this so that I wouldn't be left stranded without a small bit of income, but this could backfire and lose them their jobs and then she could sue them for it as well."

"I mean, I have to admit Coco, but it does sound a trifle dodgy to me."

"But it's not; it's paying me for doing my job, which hasn't changed, at a greatly reduced rate. 500 Lien is pittance, it's pocket money essentially. But Kara's probably clued on, and that's what's worrying me."

"Coco, I'm not going to pretend everything will be perfectly fine, but things will be okay. Once we graduate, you can tell Rod to stop immediately. If you wanted to, you can tell him to stop once this _mission_ is done - the pay would be plenty enough to see us through, especially considering there'll be more missions coming afterwards." The burst of _Confidence_ Coco got through their Marks helped in spades, but one thing still irked her.

"Velv, I've told you to stop calling him Rod. He said so himself, you can call him 'Dad'."

"I know, I just... slip up from time to time."

"Forgiven and forgotten." Coco kissed between Velvet's ears, then casually bumped her off the seat with her hips. "Our little therapy session's come to an end, we'd better grab the two of them back." They smiled at one another before they went off to find those two from earlier - hopefully they weren't taking liberties with the 15 minutes they had been given.


	34. To the Lair of the Grimm of the Waterfall of the Resort

Team CFVYN and Jade were seen regularly at the Reception the next day. Not that it was a bad thing, it gave 4 of them the practice to apply some of their lessons from Beacon about public appearance and interaction. Jade had no idea about this, so remained far away - almost to the point where she was in with the crowd to avoid questions - and Neo stood there in silence taking it all in, occasionally signing an answer that one of the others had to translate for the ones asking. But that wasn't why they were here despite how useful of an exercise it was, and at 14:00 their waiting was rewarded when a package arrived for them from Adel Fashion.

"Alright, let's get these on you" Coco said as she opened the package back in their room away from the rest of the people in the resort and handed out the sunglasses to everyone, looking to see which ones belonged to who. The specs were very impressive in design; they had a thick wrapped design frame with a dijon yellow colour to them and - as per Coco's request - had mirrored lenses. Each person tried theirs on and they all fit perfectly, plus there was no way that any of them could see through the lenses into anyone else's eyes. That gave them the best chance at trying to defeat this Grimm by removing its one known advantage it had over all of them.

"Y'know, we still haven't given it a name," Fox commented, "we're going to need one before we submit our findings in."

~ _The name'll come later; for now, let's just kill the thing and rescue anyone left in that cave._ ~ Fox nodded, and CVY just moved on without uttering a single word. In the years that they'd been together as a team knowing that Neo and Fox have literal unspoken conversations in their heads, they allowed time to let them potentially speak without their input. It took a lot of trial and error, but eventually they got somewhere with it. Unfortunately, Jade was a little out of tube with the rest of them in that regard, but she was promised to be caught up on everything in due time.

With the five members of the team stocked up where necessary and ready to go, they set out towards 'Summer Spirit', all of them praying and hoping that it would be for the last time. But they were not going unaccompanied; Jade insisted in her coming too.

"I know I got you a pair of sunglasses as well Jade," Coco attempted to dissuade the greenette from tagging along, "but that doesn't give you an automatic pass to join us. It's going to be dangerous and if I'm being frank, as leader of the team, I don't want innocent blood on my hands if you come with and get killed."

"I appreciate your concern, I really do. But which one of you five know exactly where that lair is?" That little comment put the five trainee Huntsmen in their place, as none of them did know where it was other than 'Behind the waterfall somewhere'. With a confident smirk, Jade flicked her sunglasses open, placed them on her face and walked off towards their destination, her hips swaying ever so slightly in victory. Velvet elected not to tell the green eyed woman about her hearing the fact she was congratulating herself for doing and saying that as she walked away.

CFVYN, along with Jade, all arrived at 'The Harvest' within the hour, the sun already starting to naturally dip down towards the horizon ever so slightly.

"So Jade," Fox started as they walked closer to the entrance, "what's your plan when we're in there?"

"I'm with Fox; we're mostly going to be fighting the thing and myself and Neo will also be trying to get photos of it. What's your game plan?" Fox's question and Velvet's comment did raise questions of their own in Jade's head. What _was_ she going to do?

"Honestly, I haven't planned that out." She slammed her hands to her mouth the moment the words were already out. _Inside your head Jade!_ she chastised.

"Jade..." came the deep bass voice of her non-romantic partner. "We can't have you wondering about like a child in there. I'm not in any way insinuating that you are a child, but you had your Aura unlocked by me less than three weeks ago, and with no real training of it and absolutely zero combat training, you'd only be an easily caught beacon for the Grimm. I think it unwise for you to join us in there when we are all going to be preoccupied fighting and documenting it."

"You just said so yourself, you're all going to be preoccupied, as is the Grimm. I know that there are most likely going to be other people in that inner cave, why don't I help you there? You keep its attention on you in the main cave, I grab people from the back room and save them - it eliminates that problem for later, plus there's a chance it could... I dunno, drain its power or something."

"That's-"

"That might not be a bad suggestion." Yatsuhashi turned to his leader, halting in his tracks.

"I don't follow your reasoning Coco" the giant stated as blatantly as he could.

"Yatsu, we've got an Anomaly Grimm in there, one we _know_ controls people's minds. The quicker we get it documented and killed, the quicker we can get out of there. So having someone - Jade - going in and potentially sapping its power and making the fight easier, therefore quicker, makes sense to me. What's not to get?"

"I..." the tank, a young man usually the most composed of the five students, became very flustered at the question, and despite being incapable of physically speaking her mind, Neo was the fastest to the gun on picking up on that.

{" _Something on your mind Yatsu?_ "}

"No," he answered a little too hastily to be a natural response, "I am fine." Using his new accessory to full advantage, he unfolded his sunglasses and wore them as he tried to continue. His progress was halted by Coco, who stood opposed to him with a hand on her hip and her eyes peering out over her own sunglasses. "Please may you move Coco?"

"Listen Daichi, I've been wearing designer sunglasses for years. I know why someone does things like what you just did; you can't hide your eyes behind the glass from someone like me who had done that themselves." The fashionista saw the swordsman's gaze shift ever so slightly behind the reflective glass, and a small 'I love it when I'm right' smirk grew on her face. "So tell it to me straight: what is wrong?"

"I do not want to lose Jade!" he shot back, a response that shocked not only from the contents of the reply but from the harshness behind them. "I don't want to lose _any_ of you." The silence of the group was only heightened by the cascading waterfall less than 40 metres from them. As they all knew, some more so than others, Yatsuhashi was not one to openly express feelings of this magnitude. For him to do so was indication enough that this was big. "We lost Fox at the Museum, and technically Neo as well, we could have lost Velvet to the Nuckelavee, all of you very nearly died when that... idiot DeVanta turned up, that Lancer swarm last year, Neo's-"

"You know darn well we agreed that's not what they're called Yatsuhashi," Coco scolded.

"You really want me to say it?"

"Yes! It's what we first called them, and that's how they shall be referred to."

The giant rolled his eyes, desperate to return to the point _he_ was trying to make. "The Swarm of 'Fuck-No's'."

"That's better."

"Anyway, Neo's kidnapping and subsequent torture, and now this; so much has happened to, and in all of those we have come out of it with some heavy damage to at least one of us. What happens when our luck runs out? What happens if Fox or Neo dies and they _don't_ come back this time? And Jade," he gestured out to the woman, removing his sunglasses to once again expose his eyes to the world, "let's not forget the incident you and I had at 'The Equinox'. We've trained for years to be the best we can be, yet we're just as vulnerable as you and could be knocked down or killed just as easily. But we've learnt how to protect ourselves physically and how to shield ourselves efficiently with our Auras. You haven't had any experience and don't stand a chance."

"I'm not some cheerleader to be left on the side Yatsu," she countered, but the giant cut her off before she could elaborate further.

"I am aware, but I am a Huntsmen-in-Training. You aren't, and I don't want to lose you because of that fact." He walked up to woman, standing way above her but still emotionally on the complete opposite level as her. "Much like these four are, I consider you family." Velvet gasped behind him, knowing full well what that statement means from him. "Losing family is not pleasant, I know, but it cannot be helped. If it can be stopped, then avoiding doing so is a waste of a life. I want to protect you as much as I can, because I believe you are part of this family now." His giant hands covered hers completely. "Please, if you _do_ join us in there, be careful, stay safe, and don't let our history repeat itself."

By this point, Jade had been crying for a good half of her partner's speech and it showed no signs of stopping. "Yatsu, I don't... I just..." With words failing her, she opted to do what she felt was right, and that was to throw herself into him, swinging her arms over his shoulders and hugging him as tight as she could, never wanting to let go. He returned it with not as much gusto but with the same emotions behind it. Once again though Jade instinctively leaned up and gave him a quick peck on his lips. The others were shocked at her actions, but what was worse was the lack of disgust or fear or... anything negative from Yatsuhashi at all. "Sorry..." she gasped, realising her actions.

"I had said multiple times that I am not comfortable with actions like that-"

"Oh dear," Velvet muttered under her breath, "this'll only end poorly."

"-but I've realised that, in the time we've been together, I have grown more and more relaxed about that. I do not shy away from it, and I will not with you anymore. Whilst _I_ may not initiate a kiss, I see no harm in you starting it because I care for you Jade. I really do. Just, no tongue."

"Man... I wasn't expecting that today," the woman in question admitted, "but I appreciate what you said Yatsu. I know you don't say this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean I don't - I like you, a lot. I won't say the other word, but I'm basically there." He leaned down slightly and hugged her again, and as they embraced the rest of the team got closer.

"We're not going to completely leave her unguarded Yatsu. If she comes in with us, we protect her like we protect each other - no exceptions." The giant nodded at his leader's words of encouragement. "Good. Now come on, let's kill that... um... yeah, I'm with you Fox, we need to name it."

The six of them headed in behind the lowest waterfall entrance, the group fronted by Jade as she was the only one who knew exactly where to go. Having not been either brainwashed out of their minds or looking out for their comrades, or in Yatsuhashi's case not actually been here before, the labyrinth layout of the Grimm's lair amazed and frankly petrified the quintet that was Team CFVYN.

"How can a Grimm create something as elaborate as this all on its own?"

"It's not all the work of the Grimm Fox," Jade replied, "lots of this is natural caving in here. The resort doesn't advertise it because of this Grimm - if it _did..._ well, there'd be at least one group of people coming here a week for the thrill, and at least two of them would get caught." On cue, the ominous alien sounds of the tentacle toting Grimm echoed through the rocky walls of the caves, it's cry unnerving the few that hadn't heard it properly before.

"Sunglasses on people; it doesn't get a chance to take us from this point on." The words were heeded with haste as Coco's sunglasses were all worn from that point on.

~ _I feel so stupid..._ ~ the tan skinned boy thought to himself.

~ _Why?_ ~ his girlfriend questioned, reminding him that he was never truly thinking to himself.

~ _We're wearing sunglasses. In a cave. With next to zero light inside of it. I can't see shit.~_

~ _Fox, sweetie, you're fine. You have your Aura **and** semblance to help you see, Velvet has her Faunus heritage that makes seeing in the dark a cake walk, and our glorious leader has years of wearing sunglasses everywhere behind her, so she'd be used to this sort of thing. Jade may have done this trip at least a few times and so she's used to the layout of the land, but she has the only torch on her anyway. And thinking about it, Yatsuhashi is just crazy stupid good at a lot of things. You have no course to complain. "You can't see shit", **I** can see less than an arm's reach away!_~ Neo's frustration at the events playing out in front of her made Fox smile, softly chuckling out loud and causing a faint echo to reverberate off the walls.

"Voices low guys. If this thing learns we're here we lose the element of surprise, and we need that to find as many people as we can beforehand and weaken it." Try as she might, even her instructions echoed on through the walls. A response didn't come in the form of words though, but instead of it came in the form of clicking. Fox and Jade recognised the clicking instantly, it was the sound the Grimm made, and when they hid in a little hollowed out area of the cave their suspicions were confirmed. The torch on Jade's head was switched off to not alert the beast to their presence, but the button to shut it off wasn't in the mood for co-operating. Try as she might, the near white beam of light wouldn't disappear, and seeing as how there was a faint mist approaching the beam was there in full. Anyone could tell where they were, and when that first tentacle appeared in their vision, they assumed their demise was imminent. But as more and more of the creature appeared in their vision and the louder the clicking got, the weirder and weirder it all felt. The beam of light was shining now directly onto its side, yet it was not curious about it whatsoever.

{" _Why is it not seeing us?_ "} Velvet asked in Sign, having had Jade move the torch back so that they could all see each other. Everyone else shrugged as the clicking moved past them completely. Everyone sat there trying to figure it out in their minds. Everyone saw Fox's brain click into place as a theory came to mind.

"It's blind," he whispered softly. "The clicking is it using echolocation to navigate around. I knew that sound was familiar. That explains why we rarely see it outside - this place is a perfect location for it to 'see' because everything is, for the most part, walled areas that the echoes could bounce off easily."

"How can it hypnotise then?" Fox had to admit, the question Jade posed was a valid one, but one with an easily discoverable solution.

"It doesn't need to 'see' us to hypnotise. That's probably what those eyes are predominantly for now anyway; if you glance at all of the eyes, you get put into a trance. Whether that happens normally or whether it needs to actively be trying to get you in a trance we don't know, but if we all assume it's even stealing a glance at it that does it, then we know that we are definitely not to look at it directly."

Everyone made quiet sounds of approval before Coco spoke again. "Right, let's keep moving. Jade, lead the way." They all moved out in single file, following Jade like a train.

~ _Nice deduction back there._ ~

~ _I tell you, being blind has some sort of benefit._ ~

Although he couldn't see it, or anything in intricate detail at the moment, Neo raised an eyebrow at that comment. ~ _And that is?_ ~

~ _Being able to understand the intricate nuances of how some things work when they're blind through first-hand experience. Things like echolocation and mapping out the surroundings using an external method of their choice. Sadly, it means that once it knows we're here it will not relent. You can't hide from something that can always see you through sounds._ ~

~ _Duly noted: stay hidden._ ~ They walked for a few more seconds before Neo realised something. ~ _Shouldn't you have told **everybody** that little bit of potentially lifesaving information?_~

~ _Good point, not right now. Besides, bats are a thing, they'll figure it out from that._ ~ They all wondered deeper into the cave system, forking off at one point and climbing the higher path until they came to a ledge area looking down upon large open cavern with a single beam of light coming from the high ceiling, illuminating the expanse with natural light that revealed to the students the true as-yet-unseen terror of the Grimm they were dealing with.

To one side were four black pods, sealed up completely to keep whatever was inside contained. On the opposite wall was a few more black masses, only these weren't as complete as the ones over the other side. On this side, people were suspended from the walls by goo most likely secreted by the Grimm attached their hands and shins, with another tendril of tar coloured goo connecting to the area just above their hearts. The ones visible weren't anyone that the six immediately recognised from this distance, a small mercy at least, but that didn't mean they could be ignored.

From their elevated vantage point, Velvet called out what she could see being the only one who was completely unaffected by the darkness of the expansive lair. "The space is really wide, I must say. We've got four pod like things that look like floating eggs of the far left wall near the back - we'll get to them later, they look completely taken over. There are about seven people on the other side though. And I can hear it, but there's no sign of the Grimm. For now, at least, we're partially safe."

"That's great, then we can mount a rescue first, then afterwards we should have enough juice in our boxes and less in its to take it do-" The leader had the hand of the small tricoloured woman thrust over her mouth, a move that was initially met with a little resistance until Coco heard what the reason was for the shushing. A thin black mist seeped in, followed by the thing that produces it. The Grimm slowly moved its way through the cavern from an entrance underneath them, most likely the way out they would be taking. Each movement was accompanied by a brief clicking sound from the creature's mouth.

"That's the creature's echolocation," the ex-blind man mentioned to the others in a whisper, "we're fine so long as we don't make too much sound and that we remain undetected for as long as possible. The second that thing knows we're here it may not hold back - most creatures don't because they know they've got a distinct advantage over their prey." Those who didn't hear the conversation before thanked Fox for the information, then continued scouting the land for a new plan knowing this information.

~ _Is that why you found me so easily in the Museum Fox?_ ~

~ _I... what? That's a little out of the blue don't you think?_ ~

~ _I'm just thinking, you said that creatures don't tend to give up the chase if they can't see because they know that they've got a leg up on the thing/things they're chasing. Was that your mentality back when we started? You could see me, so you chased me; even though I was lost you found me in a matter of minutes._ ~

~ _If I am perfectly honest Ni, I had never put much thought into it other than "You are out to steal the thing we're supposed to protect, I must stop you", and even **then,** we still technically failed. But looking back, yeah I guess so._~ The mute's smile shone through the bleakness of the cave as they turned their attention back to the briefing at hand. "So, what's the plan?"

"Weren't you listening?" Coco shot back.

"Not this time, sorry... do you mind repeating it?"

"A bit, but I'll make an exception," she teased. "In all fairness, we hadn't gotten far. So; this thing that we still need to think of a name for is syphoning energy from the people hanging over there." She pointed to the right wall where the seven or so people were hanging out for all to see. "I couldn't see how, but I saw their body glowing and then that glow going into that thing, so I'm only assuming at this point. Jade, any clarification?"

"Yeah, I think it steals Aura too; Juliette was pretty low when I rescued her."

"Okay, so be on guard for that. Now, it transferred some, if not all, of that energy over to those pods on the left, so whatever's in there must be fairly important to it. As much as I say we need to rescue these people straight away, we can't leave without photographic evidence of what this thing does; Velvet and Neo, I want you two to snap as many photos as you can of the pods on the left and the gooey... prison things on the right. Velv, try and get a shot of the creature from up here too whilst we go through the rest. Use flash where you need to, but make sure there is no sound - if the Grimm hears us then we lose the surprise. Think you can silently teleport around Shortcake?" The mute shook her head, it required a lot of concentration to teleport silently for her, and knowing that she'd have a fight on her hands she decided to simply say no and conserve her energy for later. "Fair enough, old fashioned way it is. Float down though, that reduces risk of you dislodging anything.

"Once the photos have been taken of everything here, the rest of us get those people down and out of here. Whoever is going to be on that far end of the conveyor belt line we'll have going needs to give them directions to the exit and make sure to tell them to walk _through_ the waterfall, or at the very least take a dip in the lake. They need their minds cleared, and as we found out first-hand either works great. After that, we take out those eggs; it's clearly stock piling that energy mostly for them. Once those four have been destroyed, then we move onto taking the Grimm down. But remember, photos are important - we need to know exactly what it can do before we kill it. Don't bother about the eyes, we already have a photo of that and first-hand experience what happens when you look at them.

"This isn't an impossibility, so if our cover gets blown and the thing starts attacking, it can take priority over the egg sack things but not the civilians being used as batteries - they are top billing behind the photos. Yatsu, you and I will be on guard duty if that happens - we're objectively the heaviest hitters and so can most likely deter it for the longest." The giant nodded, then Coco turned her attention back to her Mate. "Got any good ones of it yet hun?"

"Yeah, I've got a few. We just need to get down there once it's gone."

"Alright. Everyone know what they're doing?" Once there was confirmation from everyone else, Coco grinned. "Grand. Now we wait until this thing has a wonder around the caves before we drop down - I reckon it's going to come back here the second someone comes down from there." The students lay low and waited for their chance to strike, with Jade joining them. Although the Grimm was blind, getting out of practices like laying low could be costly, so Coco always enforced the fact that they will always be doing them regardless of the situation. Obviously, she was a little laxer on it, but she still made sure everyone was low.

15 minutes later the clicking had subsided, indicating that the beast had wondered back to the main labyrinth of tunnels. That was their cue to start the photographs, as doing this would give them a bit more time to rescue people rather than having the beast be 100 metres away and it appearing in a matter of seconds rather than minutes - and in a rescue mission, those seconds can mean the difference between life and death. Coco sent her own and Fox's girlfriend down the quick way so that they could take as many pictures as they needed, then when they were done, they could start _looking for_ a way to free everyone. The remaining four would work backwards and go down the lower fork to lead to the open cavern space that the two photographers were currently in. It also meant that they could see where the beast was heading and, by the time they got to the main cavern, it should be far enough away to give them plenty of time to evacuate. They did as such, waiting out of sight near the fork as the Grimm was still prowling around that area, its clicking immensely loud in their ears.

Two pairs of mirror lens protected eyes rounded the corner to spy the creature, surrounded by its tell-tale black mist. What they did not expect to happen was the Grimm to purposely dissolve itself over the course of 20 seconds into the waterway running down the middle of the cavern floor, the only sign of it being there the inky black colour the water now took. Of course, it made very little difference when everywhere else was shrouded in shadows as well, but they figured out based on the shrinking of the grotesque form into nothing, and the fact that Yatsuhashi was smart enough to not be shocked by it like Coco was and actually took photos of it dissolving itself.

{" _That was... completely and utterly disgusting,_ "} Coco signed as the Grimm essentially swam away from them. Once it was completely out of the way, Coco reverted to a soft whisper. "Stay out of the water, it might be able to feel everything better in there." As they trudged their way back using the torch to guide them and avoiding any and all puddles of water, the fashionista turned to her fast thinking teammate. "Oh, and thanks for the impromptu photo shots."

"It's not a problem Coco," he calmly replied. They made it back to the cavern relatively quickly. They would have arrived sooner, but they tried to avoid every single pool of water they could, which meant they had to take turns jumping over one part of their path that was more or less completely puddled. Velvet and Neo were looking around one of the people, the former talking to the person as they seemed to be relatively okay in comparison to some of their fellow captives.

"What's the verdict Velvs?" Coco asked once they got closer again. "What's been said?"

"Well, they said that the stuff they're being held up in is near impossible to break out of without help."

"That's true," Jade added, "even Juliette couldn't break out of it." The caramel coloured woman made a mental note to quiz Jade on why she thought Juliette would be able to break out of it if these guys couldn't.

"What was also said was that the Grimm constantly uses their energy and feeds it into those eggs over there, barely keeping any for itself."

"That must mean whatever's in those things are clearly very important to it - we can't let it use them, whatever they are." Velvet nodded at her Mate's deduction, then turned to the people suspended in the air.

"We need to get them out of here fast, so what's the game plan?" Everyone huddled in as Coco began laying out the quick mini-briefing.

"Yatsuhashi and I need to be kept free in case the Grimm arrives, so we'll be ushering people out only. Jade, you know this place best so are you alright to be on the far end showing people where to go?" The greenette nodded. "Plus, you don't have a weapon we could use to get them down... kinda leaves you at an impasse. That leaves Velvet, Fox and Neo - I want you to start from the furthest end and work back towards the exit. One of you cuts them down, the next person helps them up, there's a third person to meet them halfway between there and Jade; I don't care how you do it, just make sure it's done, and that it's done well. Yatsu and I will help ushering, but only whilst the coast is clear." The three of them made it known that they understood the task set and then broke off to go through how they would do it. Jade went to take up her post before Yatsuhashi grabbed her arm.

"Are you okay?" she queried, his face showing signs of worry far more than she was used to with him.

"I meant what I said outside," he began, "about me truly caring for you and seeing you as part of this little family now. Don't do anything drastic."

With a soft smile, she answered. "I won't. I promise." She reached up with her other hand and gently grasped his with her own, relaying her thoughts and feelings through the simple gesture, then parted to stand post whilst he did the same. The three who were cutting people down had already begun on doing so. Fox used his blades to slice through the go holding their hands up, causing them to fall to the floor, but Neo was there to catch them before they hit the ground. The second he removed the first person from his prison, the roar of the Grimm reverberated throughout the caves.

"It knows we're here," Coco called out, "get these guys down and out as fast as possible! Yatsu and I will hold it off for as long as possible, just get them gone. Jade," she said to the woman now halfway across the cave in nothing less than a shout, "make sure to keep them safe if it comes through that entrance." Rather than waste her own voice, the neon green eyed woman simply raised her thumb in acknowledgement. Fox sliced the bonds at their feet too whilst Neo unbound their hands. From there, Velvet escorted them to Coco, asking her to get them close to the exit. She also assured her Mate that they had a contingency plan for when the Grimm arrived. Fox had already sliced through the bonds of the next couple of people - it really wasn't that difficult of a task, especially considering Jade did it by herself before she even had her Aura unlocked.

It was only after the fifth person was en route to where Jade was and the sixth and seventh had been severed from their holds did the Grimm come for them. As she had expected, it did not come back through the same entrance and exit as before, implying that it was much like a maze system in here with this open space as almost the centre of it. "It's here!" she warned her teammates. "Yatsu, be ready. Everyone else, avoid looking directly at it if you can." Everyone acknowledged her orders as she unfolded her Gatling gun and began spraying bullets in its general direction. She knew she couldn't kill it here and now, because they needed photographic evidence of what it can do, so keeping it at bay was her only objective. The final person was free from their holds not long after the beast had turned up, with Fox and Neo helping the blond man suspended out towards the exit. Velvet re-joined the fight, keeping at a distance but also helping with deterring the beast where necessary. All seven people made it out with next to no worries, and Jade was escorting the final person out of the cave.

~ _Something doesn't seem right,_ ~ Neo mentioned to her boyfriend as they took up their places by their teammates' side, ' _this seems far too easy._ '

"As much as I love easy fight, I have to agree." The monster really didn't put up a fight at all, shying away from every attack thrown at it and on the defensive for most of the encounter, now that its hypnosis trump card had been outplayed. It swung a single tentacle towards the group, but those near to the impact point barely needed to move due to the sluggishness of the attack and inaccuracy of the swing. "Okay, something _definitely_ doesn't seem right" Fox commented again, this time to the group as a whole and not just Neo.

"There's no way a Grimm that had posed this much of a threat to the resort should be this easy to deter; I'm with Fox." On the giant's words, the creature threw one last swing at them, heading straight towards the mute. She didn't even move, rather she let the tentacle come down on her. But in the blink of an eye she had unsheathed her hidden blade from her parasol and thrust it upwards, meeting the creature's appendage with her own weapon. The impact was felt by the petite woman, but she fought through that in order to deal as much damage as she could from the one strike. The Grimm recoiled in sheer agony at the pain of a blade piercing an appendage, a sound that hurt everyone's ears but wasn't unbearable like the last major Grimm they fought. In a surprise twist, the creature fled to the pods and spewed something on them, then proceeded to escape as best as it could through the exit from before.

"Why would it run?" Velvet pondered out loud, watching as the outer layer of the eggs melted away, taking photos as it dissolved. No one was prepared for what exited the eggs though.

A single black form fell from each of them, all about the same size and shape as the last. But then it started to morph. Some growing slightly, others shrinking, but all shifting their structures to resemble something a lot more human. The white bony structures began emerging from the skin of them, adding much needed contrast to the inky black of the skin. Neo noticed first what they were morphing into, Fox second.

"That's... impossible..." he gasped out. The other three saw as well, all in an equal state of terrified awe, as Grimm versions of Viola, Lulu, Quentin and Nylan of Team HLQN stood before them.


	35. CFVYN vs. HLQN... kind of

"What the actual _fuck?!_ "

Those were the first words to come out of anyone's mouth after the four Grimm versions of their Second Year comrades had solidified and stood opposed to them, staring with the signature red and gold eyes of a Grimm. Unsurprisingly, the words came from Coco, but they weren't said without reason. All the fake-HLQN Grimm appeared exactly like their real-life counterparts - the obvious difference being the colour of this 'team's' skin and clothes - and that resemblance was more than unnerving. The Grimm team stood wordlessly where they formed, one or two of them cocking their heads every so often to show that they weren't dead or inactive.

"Does anyone have any idea what's going on? Because I'll be the first to admit I have no clue." No one replied to Fox's comment, a clear sign that they too had no idea what was happening. The fact the creature not only hypnotise people, but also could replicate another person's complete appearance made it a strange creature to say the least.

"Neo? Velvet? You... uh... you might want to... get some photos of this..." Coco managed to utter out. The mute responded first, taking out her Scroll and snapping a single image of the four fake-humans. The shutter closed with the trademark sound and the flash blinked, and the moods of these creatures spun on a dime. Their eyebrows furrowed, and their sharp teeth growled at the woman. Fake-Nylan dashed forward and landed a speed enhanced punch to the ice cream girl's stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying backwards into the wall.

"Neo!" Both men ran to her side to ensure her safety whilst the Mates formed a protective wall between the two groups. "Ni, are you okay?"

' _I so want to punch fake Nylan now._ ' Fox sighed with relief at the fact she wasn't out of it and was frankly more annoyed than hurt - her Aura must have taken a large portion of the impact with the floor and wall, but not the punch; her heavily rising and falling chest was evident that her breath was well and truly knocked right out of her. The woman winced slightly as her boyfriend helped her up, but was otherwise okay as they made their way to stand side by side with their teammates.

"It appears the Grimm constructs share the same traits as the actual team," came the observation from the group's tank, "if Nylan's copy is anything to go by. We need to mindful of what they could actually do."

"Agreed." Coco glanced around quickly, taking in their opponents - their familiarly unfamiliar opponents. "As much as I don't want to do this; Neo, we need you on photo duty. We need to match them as equally as we can, and Velvet's more suited to take on Lulu than you are. Plus, it means you get to jump in once you're done." Coco always knew how to push the right buttons and say the right things to truly get Neo on their side, and letting Neo tag in to help fight whoever she pleased once she was done was like hitting the jackpot. The mute grinned a wicked grin, then vanished into shards. The sound aggravated the faux-students and they lowered themselves ready to attack. The fashionista called out their individual target, knowing that fighting was on the horizon. "Fox, take Nylan. She's quick, but you've got experience."

"Right."

"Velvs, keep Lulu at a distance. Get her to use her beams - if she can do that, it'll be great to see it and capture it. Understand Neo?!" she called out to the cave, unsure of where the teleporter had disappeared to.

"... she understands," Fox clarified.

"Yatsu, care to dance with Quentin this time?"

"Careful," the Faunus warned, "if this thing's anything like the real Quentin, he might like that you're dancing with him."

"I appreciate the humour Velvet, but I doubt a Grimm would show sexual preferences. Plus, I'm spoken for." Velvet let out a light giggle, then immediately had to raise her guard to defend against a Chakram flying her way.

"Okay, they can copy their weapons too... great," Coco sarcastically noted as Fake-Viola's hammer constructed itself from the creature's body. The dark entity edged towards her at a pace, weapon ready to go. The fashionista refolded her handbag so that it was back in that form as opposed to its cumbersome Gatling gun configuration and held the handle tight, ready for the first swing. Sure enough, the hammer was hauled over the shoulder of its wielder for an offensive attack, one that Coco matched with an upswing of her handbag. Both weapons impacted, then recoiled from the sheer counter force of the blow, but neither person relented or let that stop them as they each went in for another attack.

The clash of the two leaders' swords was a tell-tale sign that the fighting could truly begin, as Fake-Quentin made its way towards Yatsuhashi, battle axe formed and ready to battle with. Rather than unsheathe his Greatsword, the gentle giant rather advanced towards his opponent unarmed and bated it into taking the first swing, which it did; the swing was a powerful side swipe aiming right for the student's upper torso. The creature clearly wasn't expecting what happened next, as the swing came close to impacting the giant stuck his hands out and carefully caught the blade between his palms. The Fake-Quentin struggled to dislodge the axe from the iron like grasp of the imposing student, try as it might, and after he had felt he'd toyed with the creature enough Yatsuhashi grasped the blade and upper handle tighter and started to spin the creature around. It only took three spins to build up enough momentum to throw the creature away without having to even let go of the weapon. The inky black person hit the ground hard, but rather than continue on with the momentum it deformed into a puddle on impact, then with a low flash of faint jasper red light it reformed back into the shape of the faux student. Yatsuhashi noted how the creature also reformed its weapon from itself, but the version of it that Yatsuhashi was holding had started to melt away before it could creature the new version. He was so focussed that he almost didn't hear the *Click!* coming from nearby, but the flash of the camera he certainly did notice.

With a small smirk, he commented, saying, "I hope the photograph comes out well Neo." Naturally, he didn't attempt to look around to see where she was, as that would a) give away her position if he found her, something they couldn't afford to let happen, and b) distract him from his own fight, opting to finally ready his own Greatsword instead. He could have called out that point to his teammates, but he believed they would figure it out eventually on their own.

Fox was the first to strike between him and Fake-Nylan. The kick thrown its way narrowly missed its head as it ducked underneath the swing, countering with an uppercut that tried to clock him in the jaw. Despite the creatures' accuracy earlier, the kinks very clearly hadn't been worked out of it just yet.

~ _There still seems to be some spacing issues with this thing._ ~ Unfortunately, Fox was too distracted by his own thought to realise that the uppercut was in fact a distraction to hit him with another attack - it spun round from the uppercut and smashed its body elbow into his face, drawing blood instantly. ~ _Shit! Never mind...~_

*Click!*

~ _That one was for me,_ ~ Neo mentioned from her hiding spot, ~ _it was too good not to pass up. Also, I've deduced that they are more tactical than they let on, despite how primitive they look._ ~

~ _I got that much,_ ~ he internally grunted back, blocking more of the punches thrown his way. It tried for a straight punch for the head, but Fox knew how to deal with one of them easily and spin it back on the opponent. He leaned backwards, bending his knees to drop well below its natural attack range, and let the momentum from the punch carry it over where his body was moments ago. From there, he fell back onto his hands and elbows bringing his feet off the floor and his knees tucked up to his chest, Fake-Nylan still not recovering from the momentum of its last attack. With a grunt to accentuate, he thrust all his weight through his hands to push himself up and through his legs to shoot them out, bringing both of his feet crashing into what would be the ribs of the creature, forcing it off its feet and flying away from him. He landed as the faux-student was still reaching the apex of its flight, so he dashed forward towards its landing spot. Copper brown eyes figured out the trajectory, so when he got close, he jumped to intercept the creature, unfolding his weapons as he did. With a swing from his non-dominant arm he made contact with it and sent it flying down to the ground with a bullet backed punch, followed up by him falling towards the ground exactly on top of where Fake-Nylan would be. He extended his blades on his gauntlets completely and aimed for its heart area. He slammed into the ground, his blade driving into the rock below. Unfortunately, there was no body in between the blade and rocks, for the creature melted away back into its oozing first form that seemed incapable of being dealt any damage, but equally incapable of dealing any either. "Well, that's a pain," he groaned as there was another flash of jasper light before the imitated body of Nylan rose from the dark puddle once more.

~ _Don't kill it yet Fox,_ ~ Neo reminded, ~ _I still need some photos_ _ **and**_ _I want to punch that one myself.~_

~ _Well hurry up with the photos then.~_

Fake-Lulu was relentless, much like how its real-life counterpart could be. Velvet had to constantly jump over, bob under and dodge around every attack that got too close to hit her - but the relentlessness of her opponent didn't rule her out of delivering some punishment too, she just had a harder time than her teammates doing so. Knowing how close everyone was together, she opted against using he own weapon just yet, it wasn't about killing them until Neo had all the information she needed. The Faunus jumped back, baiting the creature to throw the Chakram her way, which happened. Both the smaller and larger of the creature's construct weapons flew at her, so she waited until the very last second before she ducked and let them sail over her head, and as they did, she bounded towards her enemy with determination, especially knowing that it was going to be unarmed now. But much like Yatsuhashi, Velvet learnt the hard way that these things can 'regrow' their weapons from their bodies as the imitation woman pulled two more Chakram from its body and readied a strike at the Rabbit.

Using her agility, the Faunus spun mid-air with frightening precision, letting the fake blades slice very close to the young woman's body, as she practically slammed into the creature, knocking it off balance. Both re-centred themselves as they prepared for a second bout of fighting with one another. The phoney centred first, so it shot forward without the curtesy to wait for the Faunus to ready themselves beforehand. Velvet saw the attack coming about two seconds before it impacted, and realised she needed to react about half a second too late; the dark fist connected squarely with the young woman's jaw and knocked her back a few metres, her cry of pain heard throughout the cave system.

Jade's head turned at the sound as she escorted the final person out from the caves, the gentleman's head turning too.

"Are they going to be alright in there with that thing?" he inquired, panic filling his voice at the knowledge of what the Grimm could do to people. Jade stared back at the caves, looking in and wondering if they truly _were_ going to be okay.

"Of course they will; they're Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-Training. The team is actually the highest-ranking team of their year, so there's honestly no better trainee team from Beacon than these five, _and_ this was the team that first documented a Nuckelavee Grimm when they first defeated one two May's ago."

"You sure do know a lot about them," he teased in jest, "you a big fan of their work?"

"I'm very close friends with a member of the team, we've known each other for a while and in that time, I learnt about the team." She knew it was a little white lie, but the alternative of 'I am actually in a partnership with one of the boys in there; it's not a relationship because he doesn't feel any romantic attraction but he sees a physical one so he said this would be a decent compromise that isn't hurting one whilst alienating the other - even though it kind of is for me' was far too long winded and was also not the sort of thing she was wanting to blurt out to strangers she'd know for the best part of a minute.

 _You blurted out everything to Yatsuhashi within the first time you met him_ , she chastised herself.

 _He doesn't need to know_ _ **that**_ _either,_ came her own reply.

"I trust your recount of their achievements, young miss. Are you joining the rest of us back to the resort?"

The greenette smiled, a confident gesture on the surface to hide the screaming inside of her saying, 'What are you doing?! Why are you going to go back?' "No, it's my fight just as much as it is theirs - I've said I'd help them whenever I can, and now is that time." The man smiled at her, taking what she said at surface value without paying attention to the looks she was subtly giving to show that wasn't her true feelings on the matter.

"I wish you all luck, and I hope you send that thing back to the hell-scape it came from." She nodded as he jumped into the lake behind her, completely washing any excess goo or mental influence the Grimm held over him. Once he was gone, she made her way back inside, hoping to find herself some use.

Coco struggled up; she never remembered Viola hitting that hard. Then again, this thing wasn't Viola. It wasn't her in the same way Fox wasn't fighting Nylan, Yatsuhashi wasn't battling Quentin and Lulu wasn't the one who smashed Velvet across the face, distracting the gunner both from her scream and the feeling of pain shooting through her Mark, a lapse in concentration that Fake-Viola exploited and kicking Coco down with a well-placed slimy boot to the centre of her chest.

"I hope... you got that... Neo," the fashionista panted to the unseen photographer as she stood upright once more, "'cause I am _not_... getting kicked... by that thing... again..." Her response came in the form of a message to her Scroll, one she looked at immediately.

**_2 files attached. Click_ ** **_ here _ ** **_to view_ **

One of the photos sent to her were of Fake-Viola kicking Coco in the gut from far away to get the entire shot in, the second was a surprisingly good close up of Coco's pain face. Ignoring the pain face photo to look back on and laugh when she wasn't in a mess fighting in a Grimm's Nest, she focussed on Fake-Viola's body when she kicked her. Coco spotted the small jasper light coming from the gooey beast's foot.

"Hey, did anyone else notice these things glowing at any point?"

"When mine crashed into the ground, I saw the light before it reformed," the giant said as he battled the creature to a standstill.

"Same here," Fox added, dodging a swing at his head and redirecting the faux-person into the nearby wall. It crashed, exploding into a puddle of goo and slowly started dripping down the wall. But with a small flash of red, the goo reformed on the wall and the creature stepped out onto the floor once more. "It did it again just now! Every time it falls apart, it's using that energy to rebuild itself."

"That must have been what it was injecting into the pods from earlier - it's using other people's energy to fuel these things. Which means-"

"Which means that these things aren't invincible" Fox deduced at the same time as Coco.

"Exactly! We don't need to 'kill them', we just need to outlast them and force them to use their stored energy on reconstructing their body until there's none left. Fox, have a word with Neo. Everyone else, keep fighting! Until she's done, just try to keep the battle on even terms." The fashionista dashed forward to re-engage with Fake-Viola as Fox deliberately took a punch and sent himself flying away from the monster's sight. It gave him more time to speak with Neo. Through the faint dust cloud kicked up when he landed, the copper haired boy scurried away and hid behind a large rock near the edge of the cave system.

~ _So, how much of that did you hear?_ ~ he asked, not knowing where his girlfriend was in the cave. Her formed started shimmering into existence a few metres to his left, the woman walking over with a confident smirk on her face and a slight sway in her hips.

~ _Most of it - these things use stolen energy to power themselves, so we need to get them to forcefully exhaust their supply through either getting them to constantly reform their bodies or have them using energy infused attacks that will drain them._ ~ She sat down next to him, hiding from the creature who at present was just staring towards where he landed instead of where they now were.

~ _More or less. Are you ready to join us in the fray, or are you still taking pictures?_ ~ Before she even got a chance to answer, the sound of running could be heard on the high ledge. The hiding pair peaked out and saw Jade sneaking in and hiding up there once more.

~ _You know exactly what my next comment is going to be now, don't you?_ ~ Fox said nothing; he and Neo had been together for long enough, especially with this link in their minds, that they felt words - even thoughts - at times were too much. Fox took Neo's hand in his own and smiled, then in an instant the pair had teleported from their hiding spot up to the high balcony once again.

"Jade, it's us," Fox whispered, doing his best not to frighten the neon green eyes out of the woman's skull.

"How's it going down there?" she replied, not fazed by their sudden appearance.

"Not too bad, but we're not making progress. These things seemingly have nigh-infinite stamina, so will never tire. But we've spotted something - they give off this low red light whenever they hit us with a powerful strike or reform their body. That's their Aura, essentially, and those are the only times they use it. We're going to try and wear them out, make them use that stolen Aura pool and win that way. But we need Neo down there, so we were wondering if yo-"

"Sure thing, just pass the Scroll." The pair were a little surprised that she managed to suss out what Fox was about to suggest before he even said it, but going off how the conversation was going, it seemed inevitable that they would ask eventually. Neo unlocked her Scroll and passed it off to Jade, who smiled a silent thank you.

"Take as many as you can, but keep the flash off this time - we don't want them finding you up here with little to no way of defending yourself." Swiping at a few things on screen changed the settings. She tested them out by snapping a quick shot of the couple next to her.

"Yeah, flash is off, and the sound has been muted. I'll be as quiet as I can otherwise." Neo gave a thumbs up and Fox nodded as they stared out to battle. The Fake-Nylan had grown bored of waiting and slowly started making its way towards Yatsuhashi and Fake-Quentin.

~ _What do you say Ni? Death from above?_ ~

~ _I still need to punch that thing first, but yeah - sounds fun._ ~ They adjusted their sunglasses and held hands once more as they unsheathed their weapons. Neo blinked the pair of them high above the copy version of the Cheetah Faunus, still blissfully unaware of their presence. They came down on her like a tonne of anything, Fox's blade slicing through its back whilst Neo's blade pierced straight through its would-be skull. The creature let out what was akin to a scream as its dark mass crumpled down into nothing more than a puddle on the floor. ~ _I hope we didn't kill that thing, I still **really** need to punch it._~ They backed away, readying their stances. Coco noticed the pair of them and grinned.

"Neo's back, don't hold back anymore!" The beret totting woman unclipped her handbag once more and used it to knock the phoney leader around a little. Yatsuhashi, who was been struggling pretty evenly against the Fake-Quentin, began smirking as he pushed back against the dark form of his opponent - the swordsman clearly holding back in spades as he near effortlessly started pushing the creature back. Velvet panicked slightly on hearing Coco's request, but she couldn't let her emotions get the better of her, she knew that Coco could feel when she was off. She _had_ been giving it her all already, was she not supposed to? This creature was a tough and relentless beast, it was hard for her not to go all out from the get-go.

The puddle near the sorbet couple flashed once. Then a second, and that time things started to move. And a third, but no real progress. After the fourth flash, the creature began reforming its body, a sight which Neo smirked at.

~ _Perfect.~_

~ _That took a lot out of it, look. It's panting a little, and it took four attempts for it to actually start re-growing itself. You'll need to get your punch off quick, else it won't be around to get punched soon enough.~_

~ _You're just fuelling the fire,_ ~ she mentioned, her smirk growing darker and her grip on her weapon swapping to a reverse grip, ~ _keep going._ ~ Fox swore he saw the expression on Fake-Nylan's face shift to panic on seeing Neo starting to edge towards it.

The dual haired leader kept pushing the creature back with each and every attack. She wasn't faster than this copy, she wasn't stronger - well technically she _was_ stronger, but the creature could greatly amplify its physical attacks with borrowed-Aura far better than any Huntsman or Huntress ever could, and she was certainly a lot less durable than her opponent due to its almost fluid like body. But there were a few things she was that it wasn't; she was smarter, she was more tactical, she had better control over her own Aura...

And she could do this.

Coco knocked the creature back slightly with an elbow to the face, but didn't press the attack any further. Instead, she reattached her weapon to her belt and then stood where she landed, perfectly calm and still, channelling her Aura to flow throughout her body as one giant mass. It was a risky move, she knew that, but the rewards for it working could greatly outweigh the risks of it not. The faux-student recovered and dashed straight towards the gunner. It aimed for a punch straight at her chest.

~ _That makes my life so much easier,_ ~ she thought to herself. Anywhere else may have been a bit much for her body to handle, and the risks would have started piling up in favour of things going disastrously wrong. As the swing came from the gooey skinned being, Coco let all her Aura flood to that single spot on her body. Rather than the shield of an Aura surrounding her entire body, Coco was focussing everything into that one general area. The immediate effect of doing so was evident, as she didn't so much as flinch at the attack, and the Fake-Viola looked up in shock and surprise. Now, for the more taxing half of the move. Coco threw her Aura out from that spot, knocking her opponent back as she forcefully expelled some of her energy in a single wave from there, then she let her Aura migrate into her fist as the creature continued to stumble. The punch she landed had the entirety of her Aura backing it up, so it was no surprise that the head of the creature literally exploded when she hit it, but in doing so forced nearly 10% of her Aura out in those two moments. The attack was devastating, but the drawbacks make it a move she seldom used. The body remained upright for a couple of seconds before it slumped down to its knees.

The fashionista, satisfied with her work, started to walk away to help someone out - most likely Velvet - before the body began twitching again. "Really?" she groaned as the head started reforming, the flashing jasper light proving that it took a lot more effort that it originally expected to regrow that body part. "I can't be dealing with this shit now." She walked around the body at speed so that she was facing away from everybody else, then finally unfolded her handbag into its larger, more destructive Gatling gun form. Once the head had reformed, Fake-Viola spun its head to see where its enemy had disappeared to, only to be greeted with six spinning barrels and a grinning young woman. There was no time to even react as the bullets riddled its body and reduced it to nothing more than a mess on the floor. Coco didn't let up though, she kept the gun whirring away until she knew she didn't need it anymore. The faint jasper light blinked a few times from the puddle before it faded out completely. As it did so, the goo finally started evaporating into the black mist synonymous with a defeated Grimm. With a sigh of relief, she called it out to her comrades. "They can be defeated, just wear 'em down!"

Fake-Quentin probably heard that, but was most likely too simple of a being to register its meaning. The man it was battling though, he heard it and understood it perfectly. "Fox," he called, his deep booming bass voice resonating through the cave system, "you got any Ice Dust on you?" He swung his Greatsword around, cleaving his dark opponent in two.

"Sure do. Take it!" The tank caught the flying vial of cyan Dust, carefully storing it in his pocket. He was going to use it, just not right now. The jasper red flash came, and the creature reassembled its body, looking worn out from its repeated reformation. Yatsuhashi had seen both Fake-Nylan's attack from Fox and Neo, and he had seen Fake-Viola's demise at the hands of his leader, and from that he had deduced that inhibiting the head made re-growing itself much more difficult than if the arm or leg was removed. As the upper and lower parts of its body formed into one once more, the creature wasted no time in going on the offensive. The battle axe came swinging for the giant, aiming directly for his ribcage, but the man's shoulder dropped, letting the side of his left arm take the impact instead. In retaliation, the swordsman spun around and went for a large sweeping strike in an effort to catch his opponent, but the dark skinned creature instead raised its arm and let the blade impact it instead, a red light pulsing through as steel and stolen Aura collided.

Most people would be taken aback by the manoeuvre pulled, but Yatsuhashi saw only progress in that happening. The creature was getting desperate and was almost carelessly throwing away its Aura to protect itself, and that made things easier in the long run. The swordsman backed off, letting the creature attack him once again, and already it was drawing from the pits of the pool of Aura it had been given and was essentially on its last legs. It was attacking slower than before, and its hits seemed weaker. Yatsuhashi knew he had won the fight, he just needed to make it official. The faux-student went for another large downwards swing to potentially try and cleave the man it was fighting in half. Sadly for it, the weapon was stopped by a single hand, Yatsuhashi using his Aura to keep it there and to stop it from slicing his skin. With his free hand, he brought the blade up in a harsh diagonal movement, slicing the tar like construct into two pieces. The top half slid down with the left arm whilst the lower half and right arm remained where they were. Yatsuhashi threw the part still staying where it was away from him, getting as much distance between the two parts as possible, then walked up to the half of the creature with the head still present. As he pulled the small vial of Ice Dust from his pocket, he saw the jasper glow inside the creature and he knew he couldn't be careful with this anymore, and so instead of only using a decent amount to freeze the torso he threw the entire vial to the floor, shattering it and stopping any progress it was planning on making in its tracks. The glow pulsed a few times, the body inside still trying to reconnect with the body outside, before eventually it died away. The giant watched as the external half faded away as a black mist, and the part inside the ice started to do the same, but with no escape. So, he shattered the ice with a crash of his hilt.

Even though it wasn't a person per se, Neo was having so much fun toying with the Fake-Nylan that she and Fox were double teaming. The real Nylan was far faster than she was - and they both knew that - but this imitation of her didn't have nearly the same amount of experience as her or the same control over the Aura it possessed, so the gap closed at an incredible rate. By this point, that gap was widening again, although this time in Neo and Fox's favour. Neo could get in close faster than the copy could react, most of her hits from her parasol connected because she was attacking faster than it could defend.

There was no other word to describe what was happening; Neo was truly toying with it.

Fox stood back for the most part, dashing in to land a couple of small hits on it and keep its attention askew every now and again, but ultimately, he let Neo deal with it as she wanted to. Fake-Nylan tried to strike her, but the ice cream girl simple smirked and shattered, confusing the creature. Neo rematerialized behind it, and as it turned to see her Neo caught it right in the pseudo-jaw with a roundhouse punch, sending it straight to ground.

~ _I'm glad I got that out of my system - we can kill it now.~_

~ _Thanks for giving me permission,_ ~ Fox replied sarcastically.

~ _You're welcome._ ~

"I was being sarcastic," he replied, her answer warranting a verbal response from him as opposed to a mental one.

~ _I know._ ~ She walked over to it once again, taking her hidden blade out from the parasol and driving it into the creature's head. That didn't kill it outright, but Fox leapt in and decapitated the creature whilst Neo threw the body out of the way. Now it needed to focus not only on healing but also reassembling its body. It didn't even get a chance, as two flashes later it began evaporating. ~ _That was fun._ ~

"We're not done yet." The pair glanced over to Velvet, who was facing off against the last construct - the imitation Lulu. And from the looks of it, she was fairing worse than her opponent.

Fake-Lulu landed a kick that the Rabbit almost didn't block with her arms, then a second after that, then a third and fourth. On the fifth, the force behind it broke her guard and she flailed slightly, then with a sixth more powerful side kick, she was sent flying back.

"Hey!" Coco shouted from the side, drawing the dark construct's attention. "That's my partner and girlfriend you just kicked. You're not going to live to regret that one." Coco dashed in, handbag out and ready, as her weapon collided with the gooey person's Chakram. The fashionista tried being forceful and offensive, but ultimately Fake-Lulu was indeed much more relentless than she was, and the tides turned within the space of a minute. But they came back, as Yatsuhashi came in to fight as well. It still managed to hold its own against them; Yatsuhashi took a swing that it dodged, but then it had to parry a strike from Coco, only to now block another attack from Yatsuhashi, then another, then Coco would attack again, and so on. It was getting desperate, and then when Fox and Neo started attacking too it realised that the fight was one it was categorically not going to win.

Velvet pulled herself up off the ground to see her teammates all standing opposed to the creature and tried to join them, but the pain in her legs let gravity win that battle as she fell once again. What she didn't see was the creature starting to pulsate with a jasper glow and move its Chakram to its left arm, just like the real Lulu did.

Fox cried out to Jade, "you'd better get this!" referring to the fact he was pretty sure what the faux-student was about to do. Sure enough, the dark entity's glow started migrating to the arm with the fake Chakram.

"Neo, d'you think you could get all of us away in one?"

{" _No guarantee Coco,_ "} she signed back in complete honesty, {" _but I can always try._ "} The students moved closer together, all huddle near enough to Neo that they could reach out and touch her so they could all blink away together. They all knew that her teleportation was very limited, and that taking more than one of them with each blink severely exhausted her. Moving five of them was going to be extremely taxing on her, regardless of the distance travelled, but if it meant potentially saving their lives then she'd do what was asked of her.

It wasn't needed though, and not for reasons Team CFVYN were pleased about either.

Sure enough, Jade did as she was asked and was taking pictures of what was happening. But the fake version of Lulu noticed her briefly. And in doing so, made the entire mission infinitely more complicated. The creatures were somewhat tactical - that much they had discovered - so the evil grin that formed on its face immediately raised flags for the trainee protectors of the peace. As the glow shined its brightest, the faux-Persimmon angled its arm to point away from the quintet of warriors and instead fell on the direction of one lone, green themed woman on a high ledge.

The world seemed to move at a standstill as the glow began to spill out of the being's arm in a powerful beam that would ultimately wipe the untrained greenette off the face of Remnant. Pure adrenaline coursed through the veins of one of CFVYN as Yatsuhashi dashed towards the beam. No one registered what happened until after the giant was halfway across the space, and by the time the caramel tipped leader and her Mate cried his name to stop him he was standing with his arms apart, making himself as wide as he possibly could to block the attack.

Seldom had CFVN heard Yatsuhashi cry out in pain before. After hearing it now, they knew they didn't want to hear it again. The swordsman they knew as a brother, a young man known for keeping his emotions in check for the most part, screaming in agony as his body was aggressively bombarded with energy from the assailant. Four seconds of constant bombardment later, it stopped. The Fake-Lulu started smoking, its Grimm like body dissolving after having used all its energy to fry its target. Speaking of, Yatsuhashi fell hard, the impact he made on the floor starling everyone out of their shock and back into action.

"Yatsu!" Jade screamed, her instinct to jump straight of the ledge and make a beeline for him. Unfortunately for her, she had not mastered her Aura enough to control it and burst it to negate the impact of landing hard on the ground, a fact she only remembered after the adrenaline had subsided, she had already jumped from the ledge and was falling to be greeted with at least a few broken bones. Luck was on her side though, since Neo saw the instinctual jump she made and blinked over to catch her, for her teleportation was far faster than the speed Jade fell at. Once the greenette had been caught, the mute travelled the distance back to Yatsuhashi's side, and already there were streams of tears coming from Jade's neon green eyes, a colour that, having removed her Adel sunglasses to see him better, had misted over to the point of dulling to a near grey. The occasional flash on neon green though pulsed her Aura out and the remainder of Team CFVYN all simultaneously felt the sorrow she was feeling.

Fox turned his brother over to examine his wounds, and the sight made him wish he had never regained his own. His belt, robe and muscle shirt had all beam near enough vaporized by the attack, leaving only charred patches of cloth in their wake. His side had been blackened on one side from the beam, but otherwise remained intact. Worst of all was his skin - where the layers of clothing had been burnt away, what was covered beforehand certainly wasn't now, and that meant that his skin was directly in the firing line. As such, there were areas of his skin that had ceased to be, leaving only raw exposed muscle, darkened by the burning.

"Jeez, Yatsu... what was that about?" he muttered as he tried to get his friend's head on something a little bit more comfortable than the rocky ground - in this case, a jacket from both Neo and Fox folded up to provide support, leaving in her combat corset and Fox essentially topless. Neo certainly wouldn't be thinking about having her way with her incredibly attractive, topless-in-a-dark-cave boyfriend, because she had to attend to really the first friend who accepted her in the academy after hers and Fox's deaths, tears in her eyes as a side effect of being in close proximity to Jade's semblance.

"Had to..." was all he could manage before the pain of even talking overcame everything else.

"You're in real trouble, Daichi," Coco mentioned in a semi-teasing, semi-serious manner, "you could have gotten yourself killed just now. I don't want to have my team be a member down again - for real this time though." Her tone shifted, becoming much harsher as her emotions started to pile up. "You know fucking better to play the hero, so why now, huh?"

"Save... Jade..." She had to admit, she was not expecting that as a response, even though the woman in question was currently kneeling before her crying at his side.

The anger didn't truly subside, but it was shifted to the wayside as a ghost of a smile grew on her face. "Here that Jade?" The green eyed woman looked at the team leader, confused as to what had been said. "Yatsuhashi Daichi when against his own teachings for once in his life, all for you." Jade looked back at him, and the only thing he could do in response was to smile, though even that looked painful to do.

"Yatsu..." she sighed out in shock, lying beside him to offer him some form of physical and emotional comfort - a gesture he greatly appreciated. Having witnessed what she had, and the novelty passed, anger returned to the gunner of CFVYN, a mood change that Fox and Neo saw, but Velvet felt. However, she had the exact same thoughts as her Mate even before their Mark started glowing and their feelings were being broadcast to one another.

"Yatsu, we are going to move you outside. Once we have, Jade can get you in 'The Harvest' to ease the burns slightly and just remove the weight from everything, let you float around for a while. _We're_ going back in, and we are going to destroy that Grimm and everything in this Oum-forsaken mountainside!" Nods came from all around, eager to go on with the plan.


	36. "Call the Grimm a Akkorokamui."

The walk out was done in silence. Being 1-2ft taller than the rest of the team carrying you to safety did mean that there was a lot more deadweight than there would have been otherwise. So, to say that this was 'a challenge' would be grossly misusing the word, so the silence was more out of a need to reserve energy.

Both Coco and Velvet looked angry on the walk; one was angry not at Yatsuhashi for doing what he did, but at them for not doing something to stop it. Neo could have teleported to it, then sent it elsewhere in the cave system; any of the other three had weapons that could have shot across the gap - in either the literal or figurative sense - and drawn the gooey beast's attention away from Jade; there were many more options that were explorable, some of which weren't even that complicated to do or even think of, they just didn't register in time.

The other woman _was_ angry at Yatsuhashi. She didn't even care if it brought the Grimm to them, it meant it'd be killed quicker. His foolhardiness could have gotten him killed at least, and then there was the possibility his human blockade wouldn't work, and Jade got hit with the blast as well. The one silver lining she found was that, as it stood here and now, he was alive. And he now could say that he survived a point-blank Persimmon Beam, though if she had the final say in the matter, she would most definitely not want him to prove that fact, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't want to either. And on top of his foolhardiness potentially costing him his life, thankfully not, it _did_ cost him his custom-made sunglasses. As a whole, they held together well as a frame, but the lenses had started to bubble under the intense heat of the blast, destroying a layer of the glass and rendering the mirroring effect on them useless, as well as just rendering the sunglasses useless as well. Even if she wanted him to join them back for the fight, she didn't have a spare pair on her to lend him.

Fox felt guilty, despite a completely clear conscience, for what happened to him. He honestly believed that, had he not said anything to Jade, she would have been missed completely by the creature and none of this would have happened. He couldn't know that the creature saw the greenette of its own accord, and as such that cloud of dread floating along with him, a constant fear that he was partially responsible for how his teammate was in the state he was.

Neo knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was so much more she could have done. Velvet may be the fastest member of the team physically, but over any distance more than 6 metres Neo's teleporting trumped anything else the team had to offer. She was thinking of all the different ways she could have prevented this from happening: teleport the creature away from them in two or three blinks, teleport to Jade and get her out of the way, get in close and attack it to disrupt the charging beam. Heck, she'd even go as far as to say, 'teleport in front of the blast yourself'. _Any_ of those options were better than the alternative laid out before her with Yatsuhashi in pain and with severe burns on his skin. He had a clean life, bar two known incidences, and didn't deserve this sort of thing, whereas she had lived a life of lying and stealing, sleeping around and killing whomever she pleased whenever she wanted to. Two opposite ends of the spectrum, and she felt she was on the end that deserved to be where he is now.

~ _You're wrong, you know._ ~ Neo's gaze turned to meet her boyfriend's beside her, his voice in her head soothing and calm, even if he didn't appear to be externally.

~ _How?_ ~ she simply replied.

~ _Yes, you have done bad things. Things you regret now your life has changed, and things we as people who never had to walk that dark road would have ever done staying on the right path. But that doesn't make you more or less deserving of punishment.~_

~ _But-_ ~

"Neo," he spoke this time, earning a look from Jade briefly before her attention was drawn back to Yatsuhashi, "at the end of the day, this thing isn't about who deserved to be hurt and who didn't, it's about who _did,_ and this time Yatsu got the bad end of the stick. But on that, he was the one who jumped in the way of the beam, not us."

~ _Yeah, but we could have done that too. I **should** have done that. I should have done something, **anything** , rather than stand there and watch as one of my best friends nearly gets himself killed due to an act of self-sacrifice._~

"Yeah? Well I should have done that too. We all could have done that, but Yatsuhashi beat us to it. If anything, I'm actually glad one of us didn't jump in front of that blast - Yatsu's got the largest Aura pool out of all of us and is undisputedly the largest out of us. If anyone else had done that, there's no guarantee that Jade would have made it out unscathed or that whoever did that wouldn't have been vaporised. His Aura broke just before the beam stopped, so he basically survived the onslaught - pity his clothing didn't. You and I would have come out much worse than he did, Coco would have been knocking on Death's door and Velvet would not have survived; no sweet way of putting that one." The mute thought about that for a minute, then looked over at Yatsuhashi once again. To see their towering teammate hunched over like he was, his partner supporting him on his right and Coco on his left, barely managing to lift his feet off the ground with each and every step was heart-breaking. He was their rock; whilst Coco was in the figurative sense being the team leader, he was in their rock most literal sense. Seeing him like this lit something in Neo's heart.

~ _We're going to make that creature pay for doing that,_ ~ she growled, her eyes flitting to line up with her hair as her left fist crunched into a fist. ~ _We are going to make it pay for everything that it did to him, to us, to everyone!~_

"Yeah we are," Fox replied with a nod. He wasn't going to admit - out loud or in his head - that Neo was a tad frightening when she did that, but he agreed with her statement and shot her a brief grin that she reciprocated.

Having been the scout for the most recent part of their journey, Velvet was the first to see the waterfall exit that Jade had been using to get people out of the caves, and when she did, she removed her sunglasses and ushered everyone else to follow her out. The sun was hidden by the treeline now, but it was still light outside, and if they were completely honest the waterfall in the dusk light almost made up for the fact that they were a broken team with a mission not completed as of yet. Coco and Jade waded slightly into the water, the latter walking deeper in and pulling him out so that he could float on the water by paddling gently as she did the same. The weightlessness that came from treading water made things a little more bearable for the injured swordsman, but the problem was not completely elevated.

"Thank you for that." Speaking seemed a bit easier for him now that he'd had a little time to heal, but he could do nothing on his own, what with his complete lack of Aura, and instead was relying on Coco to share her with him on the journey there - but what she had shared had been expended too.

"No worries Yatsu." Velvet's gaze hardened much like Coco's did whenever they were about to do something of great importance. "Now, we've got a Grimm to find and beat the crap out of for hurting-"

"Call the Grimm a Akkorokamui."

The Rabbit was slightly taken aback by the name suggestion. "Ex... excuse you?"

"Back in my village, our elders told tales of a creature called an Akkorokamui. It was a sea-borne creature with the upper half of a human body and squid like tentacles. They said how that was a form taken by a minor God of the surrounding area, and that it could heal ailments if prayed to. Even if the kami is not real, the name seemed only fitting for the Grimm, seeing as it can create artificial human life and looks like a squid." The quartet of students left standing looked around at the others, wanting their own opinions on the suggestion - seeing as none of them verbal objected, they gave a non-verbal nod between the four of their acceptance, with Coco speaking out otherwise.

"An Akkorokamui it is then."

Fox pumped his wrists so that his gauntlets extended out into their aggressive modes. "Let's go kill it!" Neo was on board straight away, as was Velvet. Coco, on the other hand, had her more logical leadership beret on at that moment and stopped Velvet from taking another step.

"What's the matter?"

"Listen Velvet, I..." she sighed, removing her sunglasses to look at her Mate dead in the eyes, conveying her seriousness on the subject matter with a simple gesture. "I'm ordering you to stay here and look after Yatsuhashi and Jade. Phone through our transport and get it to land as close and convenient to here as you can so that there's as little movement of Yatsu as possible."

"Coco, why are you-" The Faunus' protest fell on deaf ears as the fashionista continued listing off her orders.

"Contact them as soon as we enter the cave system, get them here as soon as they possibly can. If we're not out by the time they arrive, head back to Beacon on your own - we'll make it there eventually."

"Coco, enough!" The team's leader did eventually stop herself from rambling into next week, and looked at her partner once again. "You are my team leader, with a far better tactical brain than I could ever have, so I'm not going to argue with you on your orders and decisions. However, you are also my girlfriend, my soulmate, my best friend - and as _those_ I want to know why you think leaving me here is a better move than having me by your side though this?" Normally, Coco had her sunglasses to hide behind, but it was clear she wanted this to be as genuine as possible. Velvet's first answer didn't come in the form of words, but a feeling. Both Mate's Marks began glowing and an emotion flooded through the Rabbit eared girl from her partner.

_Fear._

"Coco?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, because that is not the case - I trust you with all of my heart and soul. If you think it's because I feel you're not capable to handle yourself, that's also not true - I've seen you battle giant Grimm on your own that, when we started Team CFVY three years ago, you never would have even engaged alone, much less defeat it. You are an amazing warrior Velvs. But I don't want you in there. This creature is driving me insane with the amount it is doing to hurt our team and tear us up - our first encounter with it, and now this? It seems to be playing more of a psychological game than anything else, and I am not letting it hurt you anymore."

"I'm not a child, I can fend for myself."

"Fully aware of that Velvs, but that's not it." Velvet's ears flattened slightly as her head cocked to one side, a sight the gunner couldn't help but let out a small giggle to herself before refocussing her efforts on explaining. "Three people are arguably going to be the best number to take this down with everything in play. Yatsuhashi and Jade need someone to protect them until evac arrives, and I'd want to put my trust in you on that front. Fox and Neo have a bond between them only they truly understand; it's one couples wish they had, and as team leader I can't just sit back and send people to their potential deaths whilst I stay back in peace and comfort."

"This is a suicide mission?!" she interpreted, her voice full of panic at the prospect.

"What? Oh, no. No, that was a bad example. I was just saying, what kind of leader would I be _if_ I let that happen? I wouldn't call that being a leader, I'd be calling that a job of military officers. As a team _leader,_ I need to be in there, and those two have the strongest pairing in the team - not to say other are weak, mind. It leaves you out of the loop, but you have a job to do as well."

"I understand what you are saying," the Faunus began, tears in her eyes, "but why? Is it because he jumped in the way of that blast?" On that, she turned her head towards Yatsuhashi, and to an extent Jade, floating in 'The Harvest'.

The caramel tipped woman sighed again. "Yeah, it is. Real talk, you're the one thing I couldn't live without, Velvet. You're two and a half years of my life I never would change for love or money, because everything I wanted was there with you. I'm not losing you to this thing, so I'm doing it to ensure your safety. I love you too much to lose you."

"What about them? Aren't you worried what will happen to them?"

"I am, all the time; it comes with the job of leader. But they jumped at the chance to fight it, so they know they're getting into." Velvet closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around her Mate and hugging her close.

"You're not going to be dying on me either, alright? I love you too, and I'm not going to be losing you to a weird tentacle Grimm. We've dealt with tougher." She looked at Coco, who stared at her back. Their eyes spoke in sync, and they moved together for a brief kiss, their Marks flaring as their feelings were voiced.

_Love. Protection. Pride._

As they broke away, Velvet sneakily leaned in and placed another chaise kiss on her girlfriend's chin before mentioning for her to keep safe and keep them safe as she walked to meet Fox and Neo at the entrance.

"You know me, cottontail."

"That's why I'm reminding you Coco."

"Ow." The fashionista smiled one last time before turning around and heading into the dark with the other fully-fledged couple in the team, their sunglasses reapplied as they knew they were fighting the creature itself this time. Velvet saw them in, and once they were out of sight, she called in for an evac at her current location.

_Be safe Coco._

* * *

They were all aware they didn't have amazing tracking skills, and with a creature that could essentially morph itself into a puddle, it wasn't exactly going to be an easy task either. But the three of them weren't going to quit just because they couldn't find this thing. The creature broke their team, it impersonated and hurt their friends, and whether indirectly or not, Yatsuhashi is in a near-critical condition because of it; letting it live wasn't going to be an option to begin with.

Their first port of call was to return to the area where they had just fought in hopes that it may have gone back to salvage something. Sadly, that was not the case.

"That's a pain," Fox commented, "it would have been really easy to fight it in here."

Neo signed a response so that both parties could understand her. {" _Not necessarily - remember, it knows the place better than we do and it could slither away like it did last time again._ "} They agreed to that fact and headed out one of the newer exits for them. With the creature being blind and relying on echolocation to 'see' and navigate, it wasn't going to be silent at all, so their main focus was staying quiet and getting worked up as best as they could. Try as they might, Grimm can't fight the pull of negativity from a person, from anger, to sadness and even fear, so their anger at the Akkorokamui itself ought to be like an irresistible beacon to it, drawing it to them.

They trekked further, listening out for the clicking sound the beast made when finding its way.

Their journey took them deeper and deeper into the caves, their rage leading them down paths they'd never travelled before. Only after half an hour of blindly wondering did Coco speak up.

"This is pointless. We've walked through here for ages with no sign of it at all. As much as I'd hate to admit it, we might have to let it go for now." Initially reluctant to do so, the couple saw their team leader's way of thinking and started returning with her.

" ** _~Fox~_** "

The group froze where they were, hearing that sound again sent chills up their spines.

"Back to back, now!" Neo and Fox did as Coco ordered, the three of them now all facing outwards down the paths of the cave.

" ** _~Coco~_** "

On hearing her name, the caramel haired gunner grew furious, wanting nothing more than for the Akkorokamui to appear so that she could unload a rain of bullets into it.

~ _Fox?~_

~ _Yeah?~_

~ _Think you can still use your semblance to track it? We don't want to give it any sort of advantage.~_

~ _Good thinking Ni._ ~ Fox shut his eyes, letting his world go black. It was a state he knew all too well from his years of blindness, but still it felt alien now. With a slight exhale, he let his Aura pulse, mapping the area around them. Coco's Aura still shone with a caramel light, but with the obvious hint of scarlet in her core. Neo faded between her pink and brown, passing through ivory in the middle, just as he remembered her when he first woke up in the park. Everywhere else was dark. Everywhere except...

"Coco, left!" She turned, and spotted the creature moving towards them at a rapid pace. The confined space of the cave they were meant that it took up the entire tunnel with its body, and Fox had to admit, the sight was terrifying to see. The second they saw it, the Akkorokamui roared at them, frightening them with its sudden appearance. "Neo, get us away from-" He didn't get to say any more before the creature and their entire surroundings changed with a slight swirl as Neo moved them from where they were to another area of the cave - it was significantly more spacious in this part than the tunnel before, which gave them a better chance of fighting it.

"Where's the Grimm going to come from?" Coco inquired, looking out at the multiple entrances and exits dotted around the area. "Fox, take those three over there; Neo, you look in those four; I'll look at the remaining- watch out!" No sooner had she started calling out their tunnels to look out for, the creature had somehow managed to sneak its way in through one of the entrances Coco was meant to be manning, the beret wearer only noticing and jumping out of the way seconds before a tentacle smashed into the rocks where she was standing. She landed with a bit of excess momentum, her boots trying to find footing in the rocks to slow herself down. Fox cocked his gauntlets and Neo gripped her weapon tighter as Coco steadied herself. Seeing the creature in full really gave a sense of scale of the Grimm. It stood 3.5 metres tall on its belly, and each of the tentacles looked to be at least twice its own height. It gave the creature impressive reach, and the bony barbs on the ends of each made it enough of a menace already. Adding on to the fact that the front most part of it was a giant mouth just made an already unsettling creature into a horrifying looking one.

The three of them all stared at the creature, anger in their eyes over what it had done to them and their friends over the past few months, not even including what it may have done beforehand. The Grimm stared back, looking at each of the three people in front of it, becoming more and more agitated with every passing glance.

{" _It's usual way of trapping people isn't working,_ "} Neo signed to her teammates, {" _it's running low on options._ "} Sure enough, the next sound that came from anyone was another cry from the Grimm, although this one sound far less aggressive and a little more frustrated.

"Fox, Neo; get in close!" Not needing to be told twice, the pair dashed in. Neo unsheathed her hidden blade and sliced at one of the tentacles as Fox went in and stabbed the creatures soft black hide with a punch. It roared in agony as it tried to swat them away, each swing from it missing its mark by miles. With its attention diverted away from her, Coco's Gatling gun started whirring. Once it was up to the right speed, she called out to the couple to get out of her way. They did so, and the Grimm barely had a chance to figure out what was happening before its body became riddled with hundreds of bullet holes in a handful of seconds. The Akkorokamui slumped, its body dissolving into the signature Grimm mist, its reign of destruction and terror over.

"Well, that was over... unceremoniously quick," the copper haired boy admitted, "I was hoping for more of a fight."

{" _Same._ "}

"It doesn't matter," came Coco's reply, "it's gone now. We defeated it and we won - now let's get back to the surface and reap the rewards." The couple agreed, removing their sunglasses and walking back towards the exit.


	37. Back at Beacon, Safe and Sound

"Miss Scarlatina, we received your call for evac. Is everything alright?" The crewman of the Bullhead had jumped out and made his way over to where the Faunus was waiting, the large vehicle only able to get so close to the water's edge, leaving a good 100 metres between where it was and where they were now, and that wasn't including the distance between her and the two in the lake.

"For the most part, yes." The Rabbit girl began explaining the situation as they walked back towards Yatsuhashi. "We have a teammate down and in need of medical attention. He's conscious, breathing and his condition is stable, but he'd suffered a substantial amount of injuries." The pair walked over to the spot by the lake and saw Jade and Yatsuhashi in it, the larger man looking fairly burnt and bruised all over.

"I take it the gentleman is the one in need of aid?"

"Yeah. We need to get him back to Beacon Academy as soon as we possibly can." The crewman was questioning her reasoning internally - surely it would have been easier to get someone from the nearby resort to come out to them and transport them back. The entire journey there and back probably would have been done in as much time as a single journey from them in the aircraft, if not less. But he wasn't paid to argue, and he would only go against her wishes if he or the pilot deemed it detrimental to their passengers', the aircraft's, or their own safety.

"Sure thing." He made his way closer to the water's edge as Jade brought him closer. When they got there, he managed to stand up and walk a lot better than he could before thanks to some Aura sharing with Jade, but with the injuries he had sustained he was eating through what she had provided at a faster rate than she could supply it. It ended up working out poorly in their collective favours, as Jade's untrained and woefully underprepared Aura was all but diminished in an attempt to keep her partner recovering, and Yatsuhashi was completely spent on Aura and on stamina, coupled with the adrenaline rush from his heroic moment worn away as well; walking a few metres to the Bullhead had him sweating and panting like he'd never really experienced before. "Forgive me for asking, but aren't there supposed to be four members in a Huntsman team?"

"Normally, there are; we've got a team of five. And before you ask, the other three are in the caves over there dealing with a Grimm problem."

"Right..." he said, eyeing Jade through his visor and question what she was doing here.

"Jade is a good friend of ours, and the only person on the resort who knew where the Grimm was hiding in the cave system. She and Yatsuhashi are particularly close, so she insisted on coming along." That answered his unspoken question.

"Alright. Shall we start to head back now?"

"No. They shouldn't be too long; we'll wait five minutes. If they're not back in five, then we go." Velvet reached through her Mark, sending messages as best as she could through there. She thought hard about how they were on a Bullhead now, waiting for them to come back so they could return to Beacon as a full team.

_Safe. Eager._

There was a brief pause before her Mark started to glow under her clothing and she felt a rush of emotion.

_Pride. Accomplishment._

With a smile, she walked over to Yatsuhashi. "How are you feeling, Yatsu?"

"In pain, but managing." Speaking for him was nearly normal now.

"I think they may have defeated it. She doesn't feel angry anymore, but rather she feels accomplished." The gentle giant smiled, looking over to Jade.

"It's over now. It won't hurt anyone else."

"Good to know," she replied, relief evident in her voice, "but it still hurt you." He simply smiled at her, joyed at how protective of him she was being. Sure, his team did the same thing, but this was on a much more personal level, and something about it made him feel that much happier.

"That Grimm hurt me only because I was protecting you; and I wouldn't change what I did for anything else on Remnant." Neon green eyes began to tear up as she looked at her partner, his smile an honest one that broke down barriers of frustration at him like they were nothing.

"You idiot. You... you Dust damned idiot." Velvet couldn't help but smile at the scene that was playing out before her. She had experienced little things like that with Coco first-hand, and had witnessed it through multiple different relationships back at Beacon; the Faunus had to admit, watching couples dealing with small quarrels and coming out the other side alright never got old to her. Their attention was drawn away from one another when a small Dust explosion went off nearby in the general direction of 'The Harvest' lake. Jade jumped on hearing the sound, but the two Huntsmen-in-Training were much more used to the sounds and as such didn't. The sound that came after was music to their ears.

* _Velvs? Velvs, are you still there?_ *

With a grin a mile wide, the Rabbit responded with, "Yes we are Coco, yes we are. I gather that you won then?"

* _That we did. We'll discuss it more in a bit, for now we just need to get to where you lot are at._ *

"Head over the lake and through the treeline on its far side. There's no beaten path, but there's a fairly easy way to get through the brush. The Bullhead's going to be waiting for you in the clearing on the far side."

* _Great work cottontail, the three of us will see you in five!_ * As the comms went silent once more, Velvet's smile didn't fade as she turned to the partners beside her who, after hearing her speak, also began to smile a lot brighter.

"They did win."

* * *

Three quarters of the way back to Beacon, the six of them felt rested enough to start up conversation once again.

Yatsuhashi was the first to speak, shattering the silence they held - despite the constant drone of the Bullhead's engines. "If I may, how did you beat it?"

"Honestly, there wasn't much of a fight," Fox admitted and Neo nodded to in agreement, "it just... died so quickly."

"Sadly enough, it's true." Velvet glanced to her side and looked at her Mate in utter confusion.

"I thought when you said, 'we'll discuss it more in a bit', it was because it was a difficult battle, not the complete opposite."

"Nope, the fight was anything but exhilarating. I'll explain. We got into the caves again and searched for it, but we couldn't find it initially. So, we searched on with still no luck, and after a while we gave up hope so headed back. That's when it started calling out our names, like it did up at 'Summer Spirit'. Fox used his semblance and saw it coming down the tunnel - which was a frightening sight, I will admit - and Neo got us out of there just before it could hit us. When the Grimm caught up again, these two went in close and I just fired at it for a few seconds, and that was it." The two women who weren't present for the 'fight' looked at her perplexed; how could a Grimm like the Akkorokamui cause so much damage and destruction to people's lives yet be taken down so easily.

"That makes sense," came Yatsuhashi's response. Everyone now turned to stare at the group's tank, his words throwing all of them through a loop.

"Okay, you're going to need to expand on that one big guy, 'cause I have no idea how this makes _any_ sense."

"You just need to look at the Akkorokamui again. Not in a literal sense, but a tactical one." No one seemed to clue in on how his brain was working, so with a sigh and a slight bit of repositioning on the medi-bed he was laying on, he faced the rest of his team and began explaining in more detail. "The Akkorokamui dealt with us in ways we have never seen a Grimm deal with us before. It used hypnosis and mind alterations to get us in bad spots, convincing our minds to go to its lair without even doing anything other than making eye contact with us. It transferred Aura from one entity to another, it created replicas of people and had them fight us rather than itself, it used sneak attacks more so than direct assaults."

"Would you mind skipping straight to the point Yatsu?"

"Apologies Coco. The long and the short of it is this creature used all these tactics against us because as a being itself, it was weak. When we first tried attacking it in the caves before it unleashed the fake versions of Team HLQN, it missed the mark on many of its attacks and was mostly on the defensive rather than basically every other Grimm in existence we've fought against, which relies mostly on offense. And I think that's-"

{" _It's not used to fighting!_ "} Neo signed, having finally pieced together how her olive-skinned teammate was thinking.

"Exactly."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Jade asked, the one person in the group who was not overly versed in knowledge of Grimm behaviour. "I thought all Grimm knew how to fight."

"Perhaps they do, but that doesn't mean they're all good at it. I believe this Grimm was so used to using its assets like the mind manipulation that actually battling anything became unnecessary for it to survive. When we turned up having escaped the first time and knowing how to work around its powers, it lost the advantage it had and was focussing more now on having the element of surprise. When that failed as well, it was left with nothing, and as a creature that had combat as such a low priority, it stood no chance against a group of Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-Training who had fought monsters like it before."

The dual haired leader nodded. "Okay, now that you've potentially explained it, it makes a lot more sense now."

"Yeah, should make writing the report a whole lot easier now." Caramel stared at burnt orange and black, clearly not appreciating Fox's quip.

"I am _not_ writing that damn report now Fox." The scruffy haired boy smirked at her sudden attack on him, but he knew it wasn't unwarranted or unprovoked, so he couldn't say much about it. "We still have a week or so before the mission actually ends, so I am going to use that time to the fullest." The leader stared out of the window, the sight of Beacon's highest tower catching her eyes and letting a smile grow on her face. "For now, we need to get Yatsuhashi to the Infirmary, then speak to Professor Ozpin. After that, who knows?" A few others glanced out to see what she was smiling at, Jade included, and on seeing Beacon tower approaching they felt a sense of relief at the fact they were nearly back at the Academy and the weeks behind them were just that. But for Jade, it was something else.

"This is Beacon?" she uttered, clearly in awe at the sight that was in front of her. "It's... oh, wow..."

~ _Every time,_ ~ Neo commented to her boyfriend, who smiled in agreement. Beacon had a habit of doing that to people.

A few minutes later, the Bullhead carrying Jade and Team CFVYN touched down on the landing pads, and as they were unloading themselves they were approached by none other than Professor Ozpin.

"This is unexpected Team CFVYN; we weren't expecting you back for another week. Did you not wish to stay there for your relaxation period?"

"We do sir, no arguments there. We came back early because, as you can see, we are in desperate need of some more advanced care for Yatsuhashi than I believe the Resort could have provided." The Headmaster glanced past the team leader to look at the young man in question, whose skin was very badly burnt and charred from some incident - he assumed the Grimm they were sent to combat - and was currently being supported by a woman with green hair and green eyes he recognised vaguely from before.

"Very well, I shall not keep you, Ms. Adel. I take it you shan't be staying long then?"

"Sorry sir, but everything we took to the Resort is still there, and we'd kind of like to have it brought back. Plus, Jade needs to go back." Ozpin looked at Jade, and on hearing that name he recalled where he had seen her before - she was the one who had snuck in to listen to his and Maron's conversation about Juliette and the Maidens back at the 'Four Season Springs'.

"And how have you been keeping recently Jade?" The direct address to her made the woman recoil slightly.

"Oh, um... I've been... good?"

"Glad to hear it." He turned his attention back to Coco. "Ms. Adel, I do certainly hope you weren't hoping to incorporate young Jade here into our Academy. You are already a team of five; I feel like a team of six would be stretching it too thin. I can do a lot with my authority at this Academy, but even that seems too much."

"No sir, that's not what-"

"Yatsuhashi and I are partners; not in the romantic nor the teamwork sense, more like non-romantic partners. When he got hurt, I wasn't going to leave his side until I knew he was going to be alright." Ozpin sipped from his ever-present mug, then hummed in acknowledgement.

"Besides that, she only had her Aura unlocked a day after we got there, and she's had no training on mastering it other than what we've taught, and she has had no weapon training in her life." Now Ozpin knew of Jaune Arc's method of getting into his school was unorthodox and wrong - he faked transcripts to get in, very effectively he might add, and lied about everything else in the face-to-face interview. As such, he knew it was possible for someone with zero training to actually grow and excel in the school from nothing. Unlike young Mr. Arc, Jade had only nine months to learn everything from the ground up, whereas he had the full Four Year experience ahead of him. He decided to keep that information secret to the students, and instead agreed to Coco's statement.

"Well, at least you know where you stand with her. I'm glad you and Mr. Daichi have found one another Ms. Celadon, but as a person not of this Academy, nor any other, I must ask that you leave as soon as possible. I will grant you permission to see Mr. Daichi to the Infirmary, but the rest of Team CFVYN _will_ escort you straight back once you're done. Understood?" The quintet of students all fired off a 'Yes sir' in unison, even though Yatsuhashi didn't even need to say anything, then the grey haired man nodded and began walking back to his tower.

"And I thought he was just creepy and foreboding when he was talking to me," Jade commented after he'd certainly left earshot, then after she'd been told to wait a few seconds longer by the Fourth Year team - supposedly he could still hear anyone talking about him from much further away than he let on.

"He can even _hear_ Sign Language."

"Okay, now you're just making that stuff up."

"I wish we were," Velvet said with a completely neutral expression. Jade looked from one team member to another, trying to determine whether or not they were lying to her for a bit of fun. Every single one of them had completely serious faces when they looked at her.

"That's so creepy..." she muttered as the truth hit her.

"And that's not the half of it." The greenette looked at Coco with surprise, who simply walked over to the other side of Yatsuhashi, lifted his weight onto her shoulder and started walking, Jade following suit with his other arm. "We'll explain more as we walk."


	38. Grudges Held, Even After This Long

"I haven't missed this place at all," Fox mentioned as they were escorted to Yatsuhashi's room. The staff in Beacon's Infirmary wished for the students to remain outside whilst they sorted him out with the various things he'd need for his stay - heavy doses of Aura Replenisher to make up for the incredible fast rate at which he was burning through his own to try and heal himself, a few balms to calm the agitated skin and some pain relief on site as well to help with the burning sensation that was still going to be present throughout his stay - all of which they'd much rather do without five extra bodies taking up the space in the small rooms set aside for their in-patients. But now that he had been set up with everything he was going to need, the staff had called the five so that they could see him.

~ _Me either,_ ~ came his girlfriend's internal reply, ~ _especially considering the reasons for the last time I was in here._ ~

~ _Hey, we'll none of that._ ~ He emphasised his point by pecking her quickly on the forehead, a gesture she enjoyed as a small blush dusted her cheeks and her eyes flitted to both being pink.

"It doesn't look much different to a hospital," Jade commented.

"It's no different at all, in the grand scheme of things. The only real difference is the fact that here the staff are expecting and stocked up for dealing with lots of weapon injuries and Aura exhaustion; a general hospital would only have enough for a handful of those a month, whereas here, it can be a daily thing." Velvet's knowledge of the workings here didn't surprise Jade in the slightest, but the depth of variety this Infirmary ward in a combat academy had was mind-boggling to a woman who had never in her wildest dreams imagined that she'd step foot in a place like this. "It's why I got a pilot to come and pick us up and return us here rather than taking Yatsuhashi back to the resort - here is just far more catered to this kind of injury. Plus, we've been away for nearly a month - I want to see some of my friends again."

"They'll find us soon enough cottontail, they always do." The Faunus nodded in agreement, then twisted the handle and walked inside the room Yatsuhashi was in for his stay.

"Hello everyone," he greeted, not seeming to out of it, "how are you all?"

"We should be asking that of you Yatsu, you're the one currently in the Infirmary bed, not us."

"True." Fox made his way over to his bedside, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're glad you're alright."

"It's going to take a lot more than that to bring me down," he joked, with everyone present knowing full well that he barely survived the attack, and that the only reason he did was because the Fake-Lulu had expelled all of her energy and crumpled into nothingness before it could continue any longer.

"Did they say how long you were going to be in here for?" Coco asked, trying her best to break the downbeat feeling that came across the six of them.

"A few weeks, at best. This isn't something they can just pass off so easily, so they've asked if they can keep a close eye on my recovery, which I agreed to." Jade looked a little down after hearing that, but he reassured her. "Jade, it was always going to be a long road of recovery for me."

"I know. It's just... this is the only chance I'm really going to see you for a long while. I would have much preferred it would have been on happier terms." The bedridden man smiled, beckoning her over. She obliged, and was greeted with a large comforting arm wrapped around her. The action brought tears on almost instantaneously, her neon green eyes struggling to stay open with the tears that threatened to spill past her eyelids. "I was worried for you Yatsuhashi. So worried."

"I know you were Jade, and the risk you took by jumping off that ledge in a moment of pure adrenaline was admirable. I'm proud of you." A smile broke the stream of tears.

"Shut up."

"I'm serious; you went in there knowing that you were underprepared in comparison to the rest of us, and yet you stayed, then even when there was something that would have killed you, you still went ahead and did it. Proud doesn't begin to describe how I feel." Jade was crying again, but with a huge grin on her face. The two couples looked at them, hugging their respective partners and smiling.

Neo caught the tank's attention before asking him a question. {" _Hey Yatsu, do you mind if we head back to the resort? Jade can't stay here, as you know, and we need to grab all of our stuff as well._ "}

"Of course I don't mind. You still have some well-deserved rest time you can capitalise on, and I don't want you here worrying about me when you could be enjoying yourselves in a multitude of other ways." He eyed up the more experience of the couples. "Yes, even that." Fox and Neo took a couple of seconds to piece together what the giant was insinuating to the same sex coupling of the team. "Jade told me everything about your little proposition, and I agree that it may be beneficial for her every once in a while. All I ask is that you treat her with respect and not like some toy for your desires."

"We wouldn't do anything of the sort," the Faunus replied wholeheartedly.

* * *

The group stayed with their teammate for a while longer, having general discussion about whatever topics came to mind before they decided to call it a day. Members of CFVYN bid their farewells to Yatsuhashi and promised to see him as soon as they were back from the resort. Jade stayed with him for much longer, not knowing when the next time they'd come face to face again. After leaving him be, the outsider expected to be heading straight back to the landing pads and back to 'The Four Season Springs'. When she was moved on from there and ushered elsewhere, she was initially hesitant, as anyone would understandably be when being guided around a strange place.

"It won't be for long, we promise," the caramel coloured leader reassured, "it's just so we can see a couple of friends of ours that we promised to see once we'd returned." The green haired woman complied, mostly because she didn't know where she was in relation to the landing pads, but also because she trusted them not to do anything too stupid. The five of them were walking down a corridor when Velvet's ears noticeably twitched, the Faunus freezing like her animal counterpart caught in headlights.

"Velvet, what's happening?" The mage held her hand up, silencing any further questions. It was quiet as a result, and eerily so. In an instant, her right ear twitched to one side and with a gasp she lunged towards Jade and pushed her hard. All the woman could remember was being pushed, then suddenly feeling a wave of cold air rushing past her at hundreds of kilometres a minute, along with a high-pitched squeal of "They're baaaaaaccckkk!" Fox, Velvet and Coco were all tackled to the floor by a speeding Ruby Rose, who had heard of their return and went throughout the school looking for them. On seeing that they were truly back, she dashed at them all to give them a huge hug. Jade was obviously pushed out of the way, and Neo selfishly teleported herself, and only herself, out of the path of the sugar filled red blur, leaving the remaining three to share the brunt of the forceful embrace.

"I can't believe you're finally back! It seems like forever!" the reaper cried in delight.

"Red... we need... oxygen..." the gunner managed, "please move... now..." With a panicked cry, Ruby jumped off in a flurry of petals, a sight that amazed the non-student.

"Sorry! I just haven't seen you in so long that I wanted to say hi as soon as I could and hey you're new." The sudden switch in topic matter had Jade take a second or two to catch up to reality, but when she did she simply stared at the quirky silver eyed girl. "Uh... hello?"

"You... turn into petals?"

"I know, right? Isn't it cool? I mean, not as cool as some of my other friends' semblances; they can do things with magnets, or conduct electricity, or like my girlfriend Weiss - who I am so thrilled to call my girlfriend even though we've been dating for over a month but it's still so awesome - who can create glyphs, or even Neo who can teleport around like... wait, I still haven't had an apology!" Silver eyes turned dark and hard as their owner stared at the tri coloured woman in question, the bubbly personality that was there moments prior gone in an instant. "You dislocated my arm!"

"You did what?"

"She dislocated my arm. We were fighting, and she just knocks it out of its socket. I want an explanation and an apology." The cloaked girl crossed her arms, trying to be as annoyed and intimidating as she could possibly manage. Sadly, to Neo, who was far more versed in the art of short person intimidation, it came merely as a cute little pout. She smirked, then started signing.

{" _The perfect way to make your own strawberry ice cream is to combine 250ml of single cream, 2 tbsp. of caster sugar, a tsp. of vanilla extract and four tbsp. of crushed strawberries in a litre size re-sealable plastic bag. Press the air out of the bag, seal and shake bag to combine contents. Place the bag-_ "}

"Stop, Neo stop! I can't understand you."

~ _Good,_ ~ the mute thought, as everyone else present who could understand Sign Language were finding it very hard not to burst out laughing at the complete non-apology the ex-criminal had offered, all whilst the offender looked on at the girl ten years her junior with an innocent look.

"Fox, can you translate for me please?"

"Sure," he said out loud. ' _You are cruel sometimes,_ ' he continued internally.

~ _Only when I want to be. Plus, that was too good of an opportunity to pass up.~_

~ _Uh huh._ ~ After a brief period of external silence, Fox spoke to Ruby again. "Neo says that she truly is sorry for what she did, and for the fact she didn't get a chance to say this sooner. All that time, she was completely aware of what she was doing. She had to play along to keep the woman in control of her from shocking her to death, but she never intended anyone to get hurt like you did. She saw your arm was hurting, but chalked that down to exhaustion, not a previously pulled muscle. She hopes you can put that mishap behind you and forgive her for what she had to do." The crimson tipped girl looked from Fox to his girlfriend, who seemed genuinely saddened by what she had to do back then. This wasn't an apology on face value for the sake of an apology, it was genuine - even if it was coming through a third party.

The angry pout maintained for a couple more seconds before it eventually caved in. "Oh alright, I forgive you." Neo smiled, opening her arms for Ruby to give her a hug, but a large white Schnee crest materialised between the speedster and the illusionist.

"Oh no, I am not trusting you _anywhere_ near my girlfriend again. Not after last time." The voice came from down the hallway, accompanied by a flowing white off-centre ponytail and equally dazzling clothing. Next to the young woman, who was approaching with her left arm extended to summon the glyph, was a taller woman with dark hair, a bow atop her head and a vicious scowl, and on the other side of her was another woman with burning red eyes and golden hair that appeared to be aflame.

"Is that who I-"

"Jade Celadon," Coco began, grabbing the green themed girl around her shoulders and pointing to each of the girls as they marched forward, "allow me to introduce you to Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee - yes, _that_ Schnee - the respective teammate, half-sister and girlfriend of young Ruby Rose here, team leader of Beacon's most prestigious team; RWBY." Neo waved, but Blake dashed forward and pushed her away from Ruby as Yang and Weiss ran to fill the space between their leader and the ice cream girl.

"You've got some nerve, trying to act all jovial Neo." Yang's eyes burnt with a fierce crimson light as she stared at the shorter woman, continuing. "You dislocate my sisters' arm, disappear with the team for a month, then come back and try to pretend everything's all hunky-dory? What do you think we are, idiots?"

"Yang, you've got it wrong, Neo-"

"Ruby, we're your teammates. We are not going to stand there and watch whilst this woman, who hurt you so badly that she put you in the Infirmary, tries to play the whole thing off like it was a schoolyard quarrel." Blake's determined look frightened Jade back a step, though the slight glow on her shoulder caught her attention. Looking over at the other girl, Yang, she saw a similar shine there too.

~ _So, these two are Mates as well,_ ~ she thought to herself. ~ _Makes sense now._ ~

"Blake, just listen. Neo said she was sorry, and that-"

"Oh, so a simple apology makes everything better? What happens just magically goes away because she admitted she was in the wrong?"

"Just shut up and listen, okay?" the youngest cried, almost in a shout. "Neo admits that she knew what she was doing all that time she was fighting us-"

"You're not helping the little bitch's case, Rubes," the brawler growled under her breath as her Faunus partner glared at Neo.

"-but she did it to survive. There was someone controlling her that would have killed her if they knew she was disobeying them. Or worse, they could have controlled her completely, then we may not have stood a single chance at all."

Ruby's girlfriend folded her arms in annoyance. "You're not exactly painting us all in a good light Ruby."

"Because I am being truthful! If Professor Ozpin was worried about us combatting Neo to the point he needed three separate teams to fight her, then we stood no chance - and that was with her most likely holding back." Neo did have to admit it, she had trained many times over her years of crime to fight increasingly larger and more ruthless groups of people as a way of preparing herself for potential situations like this. It also meant that, when facing down against a smaller number of enemies, she had more control over the battle as she was so used to listening out for multiple people's footfalls and breaths that focussing on one person became almost as easy and natural as breathing. And when she fought the teams at the start of the year, she wasn't going all out, but she was giving them and her restrained self a run for their collective Lien. "What I'm saying is that I accepted her apology already, and I want you to as well."

All at once, everything in the Infirmary corridor got a whole lot colder. This was due to, in part, Weiss' icy stare directed straight at Neo in an attempt to bore into her soul and purge the evil from it. Also contributing to the fact was Yang's temper easing off slightly, her hair calming down to less of a dancing flame, more of an aggressive golden glow and her eyes bleeding back to their regular lilac hue. Whilst it wasn't as easily noticeable unless you had seen it a few times - of which CFVY had not - on closer inspection you saw that the few deep violet flickers of flame that sparked off almost invisibly from Blake's hair also died off as well; a trait that passed on with the couple's Mating. WBY stared at Neo, whilst no eye contact was returned initially. Having three pairs of eyes trying to drill holes in your skull with just a glance was rather off putting, especially when the glare came from people you were acquainted with, but not exactly friendly with.

Yang was the one to close the gap, bringing herself to within striking distance of the mute. "I accept that Ruby has forgiven you; I, and I'm sure the other two, have not. It's not some sort of switch you can flick; your trust needs to be earned back. Forgive us if we're being 'too harsh', but you hurt someone close to the three of us and we are not the type of girls to take this sort of thing lying down. We will see you around Neo."

The ice cream girl sighed; she had been doing so well to get on the good side of the brawler ever since she started attending here, but that one incident brought everything bad that happened between them back to the forefront. Yang turned to the rest of CFVYN that was present. "We're glad to have you back guys." There didn't feel like there was any sincerity behind the remark, and all the Fourth Year students present felt that. Even Jade felt it, and she barely knew the girl. Maybe, under better circumstances, the reception from the three 19 year olds would have been warmer, but not this time, and not now. The blonde paid no attention to Jade whatsoever as she made her way back to her girlfriend and white coloured teammate, the trio shooting Neo one final look of disapproval before rounding the corner and walking away from them. Ruby also looked at Neo's downcast expression, her silver eyes full of regret at her team's actions whilst Neo's eyes were a sorrowful brown.

"I'm sorry Neo. I just... they'll come 'round eventually. It may take some extreme measures, but I believe you can all sort it out." Neo didn't look up, didn't even acknowledge Ruby's comments, she just stared down at the tiled floor of the corridor. Unsure of what to do, Ruby glanced at Fox, the older couple, and the green haired woman standing by the illusionist, but none of them seemed to know what to do either. Fresh out of ideas on how to deal with this, the young reaper simply uttered a last apology before jogging to catch up with her team. Fox closed the gap between him and his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into a gentle embrace.

"You gonna be alright hun?"

~ _Can we leave this place now?_ ~ she almost pleaded, tears in her eyes as she spoke to him telepathically, ~ _I don't feel welcome here right now, and I want to go and speak to a team that actually **wants** to see me._~ He didn't say anything in response, internally or otherwise, simply choosing a nod and to start walking forward. The other girls around them joined.


	39. She Will Get This Joke

Neo did cheer up after a while, all with a little help from her friends. They did nothing spectacularly over the top, they simply let her be sad for a little while before coaxing her into general conversation again, making her laugh at bad jokes and embarrassing moments an others' expenses. Ruby even managed to contribute to her cheer. Whilst the quintet of twenty-something year olds were strolling around Beacon to cheer Neo up, they all felt a strong rush of wind hitting them from behind, then another one a second after hitting them from the side. As the ruby red petals flew away from everyone's vision, Neo felt a small package in her hands. Upon further inspection, there was a small gift and a little note from the hooded girl.

" _I hope this makes you feel better. I know they help me. Ruby :)_ "

The package was simple; a small blue bag with the gifts inside. There was no wrapping paper on the gift itself for the pure reason that it would have been incredibly time consuming, and next to pointless, to wrap two large chocolate chip cookies only for them to be unwrapped and eaten within the next thirty minutes. The little act of generosity from the tri coloured woman's junior brought that fierce smile Neo was known for back into the limelight. They also quelled a small part of hunger that the team never knew was growing until their stomachs grumbled in a symphony of undernourishment - a fault the team could only blame on themselves. So, heeding their bodies' call, the five of them made yet another detour towards the dining hall, fortunately just as the rush was dying down from the lunch break.

"I'm just saying Coco, shouldn't we be heading back to the airship now? I've seen Beacon now and I am very impressed, but I'm a little bit worried that Professor Ozpin, or any other members of staff, will see me here and take me off site. I'd rather leave before that." The team leader let out a slight chuckle to herself before turning her head towards Jade, never once breaking step.

"Jade, there's only one member of faculty you really need to be mindful of about those sorts of things," she initially dismissed the greenette's scepticism before continuing on, "and her name is Glynda Goodwitch. Hopefully we'll hear her before we can see her - she always wears these heeled boots that are very distinguishable when she's walking on tiled surfaces - but if not, we'll let Neo try and speak reason with her."

{" _Why me?_ "}

"Don't play dumb, Shortcake. You and Goodwitch are two peas in a pod, so you'll have the best possible success rate if and when we need to talk to her."

"I still don't get it though," Jade admitted, "why is she so scary?" Neo tried to answer with a signed "she's not really", but Velvet this time jumped in before the illusionist had a chance to get a word in edgeways.

"Okay, imagine someone with Neo's personality. Now refine it for an extra twenty years, and add a dash of teaching in there." The neon green eyed woman nodded as Velvet continued, the mute of the group just standing there and letting it all happen. The Faunus was technically not wrong, plus she didn't really mind being compared to someone as intimidating as Goodwitch. "Now stretch Neo until she's about 6' 3", inflate her chest to Ds, maybe even DDs, give her telekinetic powers, blonde hair and make her into a Matured Dominatrix, complete with by-the-books look, glasses, and a stern attitude. She even carries around a riding crop everywhere." Jade's eyes widened at the revelation and all the team could do to confirm that this wasn't a trick was to nod. " _That_ is Professor Goodwitch."

"Okay, I can see why she's scary now - remind me never to get on her bad side."

Coco grabbed her shoulder to reassure the outsider. "Relax Jade, you're most likely not going to be here to experience first-hand the wrath of Glynda Goodwitch, so you've got nothing to worry about. But _if_ something happens, we'll just say you're a student from Vacuo over for the Vytal Festival who didn't know better." The comment didn't exactly fill the greenette with confidence.

~ _Coco knows Vytal 41 isn't at Beacon, right?_ ~ Neo queried.

~ _I'm pretty sure she knows, yeah._ ~

~ _Does **Jade** know where Vytal 41 is?_~

~ _No idea, but she dug that hole, so let her crawl out of it.~_

The five of them grabbed food from the cafeteria and sat far away from everyone else to have a simple discussion to themselves without the constant hounding of First Years. Today was pasta day, which Velvet was thankful for, for Jade's sake if no one else's - the pasta was arguably the best dish they served here, even though all the dishes were meant to be good for growing Huntsmen-in-Training, as it was the one with the most edible content. After their hungers had been satisfied, Neo led the rest of the group to their final destination before the landing pads. Velvet and Coco wanted to shoot back to their own dorm to grab a few extra things before return to 'The Four Season Springs', something that Neo allowed them to do under express orders not to make out with one another at all whilst they were grabbing their things. The corners of their mouth twitched up unnoticeably as they promised no making out, then they ran once Neo was convinced they meant it, leaving Jade and the ever so slightly more conventional pairing of Team CFVYN left.

Neo typed out a few things she wanted Jade to say on her Scroll, then handed the device to her before they reached the door they needed to.

"I am compelled to ask why," she asked, having skim read through what was given to her, "these seem a little... odd."

"...Neo says that they're our friends, they'll get the jokes. Plus, she needs a good laugh right now." With a sigh, Jade held the Scroll at a decent eye level and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" came the muffled voice through the wood.

"'Hello, my name is Jade Celadon, is this Team Harlequin's dorm?'"

"It is, yes."

"'And you are?'"

"Surely you should know if you're knocking here."

"'I can't hear you properly through the door.'"

The voice groaned before answering, that action alone telling the older students who it was before the words ever could. "My name doesn't matter. Now what do you want? I've got work in here that I'd much rather be getting on with, and that's saying something." Neo pointed with glee at what she wanted Jade to say next; the woman had said everything word perfect thus far, and this was the punchline to the joke.

"Are you _sure_ they'll be alright with this?" Jade asked in a whisper, to which Neo simply nodded sincerely. "Okay... 'I'm here to see Lu-P. I was hoping you could help.'" There was a silence, and Fox brought Jade back behind him. Moments later, the door burst open with Lulu standing there with her Chakram aimed directly at eye level, her face awash with frustration most likely brought on through a hard day's worth of work.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if you think you can... oh, you motherfuckers..." Lulu was greeted with the two pranksters grinning at her, with a third unknown person standing rather sheepishly behind them. "...Well don't just stand there, your hugs are greatly needed right now." Not needing to be told twice, the couple dashed forward and hugged Lulu back into the room. "It's great to see you two again!"

"Likewise, Lulu, likewise." The Persimmon's face lit up in her older friends' embrace, but when her eyes opened, and she spotted Jade standing there she jumped a bit, not expecting a third person to be with them despite the fact she both heard her and saw her earlier. In her own defence, she was preoccupied with saying hello to the couple that brought Team HLQN out of its shell.

"Sorry, I forgot you were there for a second. I presume these two made you do that?" Unsure what to do, Jade nodded sheepishly. "Come on, I'm not going to bite your head off. I'm just a little bi-" Lulu looked to her side and saw both Fox and Neo staring at her, clearly not believing a word, "okay, I'm extremely annoyed at my workload at the moment, but that doesn't mean I can't be pleasant. Jade, wasn't it?"

"Yeah..." the greenette mumbled, still not 100% convinced she wasn't going to be attacked at the first opportunity.

"I'm Lulu Persimmon, nice to meet you. So, what's brought you to Beacon? No offence, but you don't seem like the type of girl to attend."

"Well, I'm... not really here learning to become a Huntress at all - my parents were against the idea because they had an inclination as to my potential semblance, and having had it unlocked in the last few weeks they were right."

"Whatever suits you. What is your semblance then?"

"Her emotions are slightly amplified, and they project onto those nearby," Fox answered. It was clear she was having a slightly difficult time putting the effect she had on others into words, so he did it for her. "It's more of a passive semblance than an active one, but you can tell when it's active because her eyes properly glow." Jade's face heated up, turning red from the embarrassment of having this stranger suddenly take a long hard look at her eyes.

"You never explained why you were here either," Lulu responded, taking a seat on her own bed and gesturing for the others to do the same.

"Yatsuhashi needed to be rushed back due to injuries whilst they were fighting the Grimm at 'Summer Spirit', so-"

"Wait, the big guy? What could have done that to him of all people?"

"Trust us, that's a whole other story to tell," the burnt orange themed boy explained.

"Anyway, we came back here to get him better medical attention, and yeah." The grey and orange girl uttered a silent "Oh" before shifting all her attention to her Scroll, swiping at the screen and getting her teammates on dial.

* _Yo Lu-P, what's up?_ * The three older people in the room could see Lulu's expression spin on a dime when her teammate, most likely Viola, called her that. Neo was pretty sure she heard Nylan giggling and Quentin reprimanding her too.

"It's been over a year now, I told you to stop it with the 'Lu-P' joke."

* _Oh shush, you love it really._ *

"Yeah, about as much as I love women."

* _Wow Lulu,_ * this was Nylan now * _I didn't know you swung that way at all, I thought you only liked dudes!_ * This retort got a much heartier laugh from Viola, even a giggle from Quentin. Lulu also noted that the three in the room were doing their upmost to remain impartial to the banter between the team.

"Fuck you and shut up, I-"

* _Well, which do you want me to do?_ *

"Nylan, I'm trying to have a decent conversation here. Team CFVYN are back."

That got their attention. * _Really?! Where are they, we need to see them._ *

"We're currently sleeping in your bed, Vi," Fox shot back, drawing the fire away from the girl making the call, "and I have got to say, it feels kind of... broken. Like the springs have all been worn out through strenuous activities."

* _Is that Fox?_ *

"It is indeed. We're in your dorm room, come back as soon as. Neo and I have some stories to tell."

* * *

The door slammed open, scaring most of the occupants of the room.

"Where are they?!" Nylan dramatically demanded, her girlfriend and other teammate standing behind her.

"Currently recovering from their near heart attacks, you idiot." She gestured to the three sitting beside her, all of them clutching their chests to calm themselves down. "I am not paying for a replacement door if you break this one too."

"Hey Nylan. Glad to see you haven't cha- oof!" The Cheetah flew straight at the copper haired boy, tackling him straight back onto the bed. Neo started waving her arms around with a grin on her face, everyone present knowing it was Sign Language, but only Fox truly knowing what she said even though he was stuck underneath an 18 year old Faunus.

"Fox, what'd she say?"

"Oh, that? Just a simple 'If anyone else starts tackle hugging my boyfriend, I am going to pull their insides out and start dancing with their fallopian tubes.' Why?" Everyone else paled in an instant, as if someone had flicked a switch. Even Quentin, although his pallor came from the prospect of the threat rather than the threat itself. Nylan jumped off Fox, standing there unsure of what to do, or what to say, or if she should even say anything at all. Should she apologise to him for doing th- "She also just said that you are all really gullible for believing that." Viola glanced at her, seeing her grinning with such a huge shit eating grin for such a small person, and decided to act. The patterned girl tackled Neo instead, catching her in an embrace that she could not escape. Well, she _could_ escape it, but chose not to.

Quentin smiled, watching everyone else be happy at their little reunion. "It seems so much longer that a month, I swear." Everyone did eventually calm down and settle on one of the beds in the room. "How did it all go?"

"I'd say 'it went swimmingly', but I'd be lying; a lot happened in the time we were there, but the main thing is we beat the Grimm and it is no longer terrorising that spring up there." They all were ecstatic to hear that news, especially considering all the grief and discomfort the creature put them through.

"I knew you could do it!" Viola congratulated.

"Thanks Vi. But like I said, it didn't go swimmingly. That's actually the reason we're back here now rather than still at the resort having some well needed R&R." The shift in tone caught everyone's attention and HLQN were now focussed solely on Fox, as he was the only one there not from the full team who knew them beforehand and could communicate what happened. Jade simply sat in peace off to one side, close enough to Fox and Neo to not feel completely isolated, but the feeling of alienation in a group who knew each other so well was incredibly apparent. "I'll start with the positives; the main chunk of the mission went really well. It was a large scale extermination deal with a lot of individual nests we had to clear out. We even got to use one trick that you'll be taught next year, although I think we can all agree that it was a bit too destructive to be much good for multiple uses."

"What is it?" Lulu inquired, hoping to get a leg up and be able to use it in advance. Neo simply shook her head at her, irking the persimmon coloured young woman.

"Neo's got the right idea Lulu, it's not something to be messed with. If it weren't for a certain girlfriend of mine's ability to teleport, we both would have been gravely injured or outright killed by it." The Second Year rightly backed down from the question, seeing that if even they could have died, there wasn't a chance their team could do it without things ending in disaster. "But I digress. We cleared all the nests out, and so our last port of call was dealing with the Grimm up at 'Summer Spirit'. That thing very nearly took us out as well, if it wasn't for some very lucky timing. We were surrounded by this black mist at one point, and so Neo decided she wanted to get a picture of it, just so that we could compile a document on everything about this Grimm. But it was actually hidden in the mist, and everyone except me, Yatsuhashi and Jade saw it." Fox gestured to the woman in question on mentioning her name, and the team - barring Lulu - greeted her before turning back to Fox. "Yatsu and Jade were away from the group due to an injury he sustained early that morning, and Jade was looking after him, so it was just us two, Velvet and Coco, who I'm sure you've all met before, right?"

"Fox, we helped you when Neo went rogue, of course we met them." The ice cream girl's expression dropped past neutral on being reminded of that, but it didn't stay that way for long. And despite her attempt to hide it, Fox still caught the tail end of it and made a mental note to speak with her about it again.

"Right, so you were. Sorry, my mind's all over the place right now. Anyway, they saw it and we ran into the alcove that was up there. They couldn't tell you this next bit even if they wanted to, but the creature had near instantly brainwashed them into thinking various things. Coco was being forced to lead us all down into its lair inside the mountain, Neo was just angry at anything that she didn't agree with and Velvet was fearful of everything. Basically, it had forced them to do its work for it. But I learnt of this and snapped them out of it, discovering water - specifically running water - was a great way of breaking its hold on them. Once we were all patched up, physically and mentally, and with some sunglasses courtesy of Coco to protect our eyes from looking at it, we went back in to fight it properly. As it turns out, it's not the best fighter in the world and as a Grimm is honestly disappointingly weak. But it makes up for that by having the weirdest power I've ever seen. It made clones of you to fight us with."

"What?!" Team HLQN cried in unison.

"It's true," Jade mentioned almost regretting speaking out the second she said anything, "although I didn't know it was you back then, looking at you four now I see exactly the resemblance. It did a good job at replicating physically, and I imagine their fighting styles were also mimicked well. I've never seen you fight, so I can't compare."

"How the hell can it do that?" their team leader asked, still in utter disbelief.

"We couldn't tell you exactly, but going off what we all discovered, it takes energy from people it captures and transfers their Aura into another thing storing the copy people. My friend got caught and I went in to rescue her. The only reason they knew that was what it did with people was because I had seen it then."

"Jade had been a huge help to us these past weeks. She's provided us with information that's been really valuable to defeating this thing, and she's even captured dear Yatsuhashi's heart." Fox played that last titbit of information up a lot, causing the greenette to blush profusely.

"That's not funny Fox!" she protested, crossing her arms in annoyance as the Second Years giggled.

 _It is a little,_ Neo responded internally, answering to everyone else by nodding and holding her thumb and forefinger ever so slightly apart.

"In all seriousness, we couldn't have done this without her. Now, when the copy creatures attacked, they really did fight just like you do, except it was in hand-to-hand combat; there were no weapons fired and there was no teamwork amongst them at all. Everything they did was very 'lone wolf', but that made them easier to pick off. Sadly, there was one exception to the 'no weapons fired' rule, and that was you Lulu." The group all turned to the Persimmon, who looked terrified at the thought of her - well, the 'Fake, Grimm Copy' Her - hurting someone from her group of friends. "It still figured out how to use your energy attacks, and it used them on Jade here." The grey and orange woman gasped, turning back to Jade with tears in her eyes. "She wouldn't have survived, if it wasn't for Yatsuhashi jumping in the way and tanking a four second energy beam."

"F-four seconds...?" she stuttered in shock. The mute nodded. "How... how bad is he?"

"Lulu, don't-"

"How bad is he, Fox?!" she snapped back, still in shock, and that was clearly manifesting in aggressive moments like that.

"He's doing alright. We brought him back here to get some proper medical attention from people who know how to deal with this sort of thing, and he will be making a full recovery. His skin was pretty bad initially, but it's nothing Aura won't heal." Lulu nodded slowly, not willing to look up from her lap, he fists clenching her school skirt in a vice like grip.

"He's going to be okay, isn't he?" she asked again.

"Yeah, he'll be okay. He's a big guy Lulu, he can cope." Whilst a few titters could be heard from the rest of the group, the Persimmon wasn't one of them. Her eyes finally drifted up.

"I want to go see him, if that's alright with you."

Fox couldn't help but chuckle. "Lulu, you don't need to have our permission to go and see him. I'm sure he'll appreciate it, actually. He knows that it wasn't you who did that to him, and even then, he is a very forgiving man." She nodded once again, hearing his words and accepting them, but not showing it.

"That sounds like quick a month you've had already," Nylan mentioned, breaking everyone out of their downcast moods, "what's next on the books?"

"Well," came Fox's reply, happy at the break given to them all, "we're heading back to the resort for another week. As part of the mission brief, we were given a week's worth of R&R at the resort if we could complete it within three weeks, else we'd have to eat into that time finishing the mission. Yatsuhashi is fine with it, but I think if you pay him a visit or two over the course of the week, he'll appreciate it. Afterwards, we're going to be doing some smaller missions to build up a kitty for ourselves as a group before graduation. Otherwise, not much."

Their conversation drifted on, swapping to what the Second Year Team did in their time between then and now, until Neo and Fox had to call it quits and head off.

"It was great catching up with you all again, and we'll see you in a week."

"Bye guys. It was nice meeting you too Jade."

"Same." The burnt copper, pear green and dual pink and brown haired people finally made their way back to the landing pads, having spent the vast remainder of day at the school as opposed to a quick there and back between the Infirmary and the Bullheads. Neo sent a message to Coco and Velvet, telling them that they were near the landing pads a few minutes ago, but they hadn't replied. That worried the woman, but not greatly - it's not like they could have gone far. "I enjoyed it here," the greenette commented as they walked along the home stretch towards their ride back to the resort, "I know it may not have looked like I did, but it was so intriguing to see how your day to day lives work, and how different they are from ours."

{" _Similar,_ "} Neo signed, one of the few words Jade had been taught in the time they had together at 'The Four Season'.

"That is true, but there's still so much difference as well. Especially for a person like me."

"So, changed your mind then? Want to join the prestigious ranks of the Hunters and Huntresses of Remnant?"

"Ask me that question seven years ago knowing what I know now, and I _might_ have said yes. But I'm too old for this life, and I'm too much of a liability with my semblance. Who'd want to be on a team with someone who can flip their own mood on a dime, and by proxy everyone else's around them?"

"I don't agree with what you're saying at all, but I understand what you mean and where you're coming from. But Neo was older than you are when she started, so age isn't really a factor."

~ _I had also been training as if I was a Huntress from the age of seventeen, and only got in here through very, **very** unique circumstances,_~ the mute reminded him.

~ _Those are minor details I may have missed out,~_ he replied.

~ _They sound pretty major to me.~_

"I appreciate your concern, but I don't think the life is for me anyway."

"It's not for everyone. I was only teasing you, I know you'd mentioned it before." The green themed woman simply grinned in response as they arrived on the landing pads.

"Where to, you three?" the pilot asked, leaning against the side of his aircraft.

"We need to wait a few more minutes for our teammates, but once they're here, it's to 'The Four Season Springs' Resort, South-East Vale."

"Sure thing kid. Just say when they're here."

Velvet eventually arrived with Coco in tow some fifteen minutes after the first lot had gotten there, looking a bit dishevelled, for lack of a better description, and carrying a small bag with them, filled with Oum only knows what. The pilot was a little displeased because he'd missed a couple of opportunities for flights out, but he had nothing on the looks Jade, Fox and especially Neo had.

"Sorry we're late," Velvet puffed, out of breath from running here, "we got caught up."

{" _'Caught up', is that what you two are calling it now? Because to me it looks like you two had some pretty steamy 'catching up' to do._ "} Neo looked more and more annoyed at the pair of them as time passed. {" _And I thought I said no making out._ "}

"To be fair, we didn't make out at all," Coco pointed out. "All sex, no kissing whatsoever."

" **Coco!** " Whilst the fashionista sounded proud about her statement, the Faunus inversely sounded absolutely mortified. The interaction didn't go unnoticed, and ultimately, they couldn't stay mad, so Jade, Fox and Neo just ended up laughing at them, with the recently sexed-out couple laughing too.


	40. Worrying the fair Maiden

The five of them arrived back at 'The Four Season Springs' as the sun set over the resort, leaving only the highest points of the building illuminated by the now orange light of the late day. Jade made her excuse and parted from the near-complete team to head back to her own room in one of the other buildings, but instead made a detour to another's abode. Her knuckles wrapped on the door, and within the minute a familiar pair of tangerine orange eyes.

"Oh, thank the Gods you're alright." Jade got rushed by Juliette the second she opened the door, the cornsilk blonde worrying for her friend's safety. "I hadn't heard from you for the past couple of days and I was scared you'd been hurt."

"Juliette, I'm fine," the green haired woman insisted, peeling herself away from her friend, "honestly. I came here to give you some good news for a change." The Maiden smiled at the prospect, inviting her friend in.

"So? What's the good news that got you coming here then?"

"Well, the guys I've been hanging a-AAHH!" Both young women cried out in fear at the sight, one that neither of them were expecting at all considering how the room they were in was designed to almost bend light around it and render it invisible to anyone who gazed upon it from the outside. Sat on the bed, legs daintily crossed, open parasol slung over her shoulder, was none other than Neo, her eyes switching from brown in her right eye pink in her left to the colours matching up with her hair for but a brief moment before swapping back, all while a grin grew on her face. "Neo, what the hell?!"

"Aren't you the one that can change eye colours?" the blonde asked. Jade simply hit her arm in response.

"She somehow found your room in the resort and snuck in, appearing on your bed through some means, and the first thing you ask about is 'you can change your eye colour'? Aren't you more concerned about the fact she's here right now?"

"I mean... how did you get here?" Juliette tried to play along, but neither Jade nor Neo were convinced. Neo especially, she just rolled her eyes and threw her Scroll at the pair, her message obviously pre-typed as neither of them saw her write it up.

**I'm here to get some answers. You've been hiding things from us Juliette, and I want to know them. Who are you, really?**

"I'm not going to tell you anything," the tangerine eyed girl growled, her eyes shining with a new light and her hair shimmering. Neo's curiosity was most certainly piqued by this sudden display, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward with interest, but Jade stepped between the pair.

"Juliette, that's enough. Neo's deceptively strong, you wouldn't be able to take her on."

"I'm not being intimidated by a girl with an umbrella." That comment caused the eyes of Neo to switch to the same as her hair once again, this time remaining so as she stood from the bed and bowed as if ready to fight. "Listen Neo, I've got power in me unlike you've ever seen before, I can end you in an instant if I so wanted to. I suggest you leave now before I have to do that." The mute's smirk hardened, the thinly veiled threat not budging her at all and in fact solidifying her resolve to stay. Juliette also redoubled her efforts, bringing her Maiden's powers forth a little harder, causing sparks to fly from strand to strand on her head. Jade's intervention prevented neither of them from backing down, so she decided it came to drastic measures. Jade ran to the kitchen and grabbed a knife, then came back out brandishing it.

"Get away from each other, now!" she called out, unafraid of either of them now. The threat of her with a weapon did nothing, and the Maiden casually waved it off.

"Jade, don't get involved. I've got someone willingly coming to me wanting a fight, I'll give it to them."

"Back off now, or I drive this through my own heart."

 _That_ threat did something. Both Neo and Juliette turned to Jade to see her raising the blade up, swapping clumsily to a reverse grip to plunge it into herself. Juliette turned the Maiden's powers off right away, and Neo teleported the distance, grabbing the knife wielding arm by the wrist to stop the greenette from killing herself.

"What do you think you're playing at?!" the blonde chastised, "you could have killed yourself."

"And you could have just answered her questions. Instead, I had to do something drastic for you two to even recognise my presence here and stop you from exposing yourself. What would you have done if this fight travelled? You're suddenly battling in front of everyone in the resort and the secret is exposed to the entirety of Remnant?"

The blonde, whilst hanging her head in shame, still bit back at her friend for the upfront nature of her comment. "I get it Jade, and I'm sorry. But threatening to kill yourself? Low blow." She turned to Neo, who had managed to wrestle the knife off Jade and was now standing there with it in her hand. "I'm sorry to you as well Neo. Can we just talk sit down and properly this time? I promise, I'll answer what I can if we just do this right." Heterochromia looked gleefully towards her as she smiled and clasped her hands together, all whilst still holding onto the knife, and gestured for the pair of them to take a seat. She proceeded to walk back to the kitchenette in Juliette's room and put the knife back where it should be.

"Sorry about her," a downbeat Jade began, "she tends to be very upfront with things when she really wants something. It takes a little getting used to, and I'll admit, I'm still not there yet."

"You coped better than I did," the cornsilk haired young woman reminded her, earning a smile from her neon green eyed friend. She wasn't going to add the 'initially, at least' that was floating around her head - it would have done neither of them any good. Perhaps at a later date.

When Neo returned, she sat down next to Juliette, almost uncomfortably so, and presented her with her Scroll.

**I'll ask you again: Who are you?**

"I'll tell you, but you must promise that under no circumstances are you to let any of this known to anyone else." Neo held her left hand up and drew a cross over her heart with her right, promising her that much. "Alright then; my name is Juliette Solstice. I'm twenty three, and as of thirteen months ago, I became the latest of the Summer Maidens after the previous one passed away.

"The story of the Four Maidens and the Wizard is true, how an old man gifted four sisters the ability to bring life and balance to human and Faunus kind, and I am now living proof of that story. When the woman in possession of this power before dies, the one who was in their thoughts last gets transferred the power. Your Professor Ozpin brought me in with Maron, the Head Receptionist here, when I'd shown some interest in the previous owner, asking if she was alright when she appeared unwell, visiting her from time to time when I was allowed, that sort of thing. He said I had 'a strong will and a good heart', so he deemed me worthy and when I said yes I became... this."

On that, she flicked her hand open summoning forth a small ball of concentrated lightning hovering just above her palm. Jade was as intrigued as she was the first time, but Neo's fascination was completely new. The ball of energy hummed, sending out an errand spark every once or twice before she closed her palm and let the ball dissipate into herself once more. "I've been able to do that basically ever since I got these powers, and what I showed you when we were... facing off against each other was also very low end stuff. I guess the Summer Maiden favoured electricity; it seems to be my default thing. Jade found out about a year ago through snooping-"

"I said was sorry, what more do you want from me?"

"Nothing; you've given me a friend to talk to and confide to in the time I've been here, I'm not going to complain at all. But yeah, Jade's been there as a friend for the past year, basically keeping me sane whilst I remain essentially cooped up in here 365 days of the year." Neo typed out an answer as fast as she could manage.

**Why don't you just go? Who can stop you?**

"Other than my sisters, there should genuinely be no one who could." Neo made some wild gesture outwards, and the two others (correctly) interpreted it to mean 'well why don't you go then?', but all that got at first was a sigh from Juliette. "I'd be at risk 24/7, that's why. I know I am here, but nobody knows I'm here. Out there, I'm exposed and at risk. That's what the resort is to me, it's essentially my home now. It's not like I have a family to go back to now anyway..." Neo sensed something tragic had happened in the past, but for her sake aptly chose to avoid any further questions on that matter and instead directly asked something else.

**What made you want it? I know Ozpin said he deemed you worthy, but that doesn't mean you had to say yes, did it?**

"You're right, and the answer is pathetically stupid; I was curious. I wanted to know what it would be like to possess the powers that men, women and children dream of, so I said yes. I answered with my head, when in my heart I was telling myself that there were consequences to my actions. My parents didn't care for me much anymore-"

 _Oh, I thought they were dead based on how she phrased herself earlier,_ Neo thought to herself as the yellow haired Maiden continued.

"-and all the friends that I had didn't even bother contacting me. I was supposed to dispose of my old Scroll so they could get me a new, off the grid one for contacting them in dire situations only, but I managed to sneak my old one away before it was disposed of. I kept it for 36 days, and not a single person contacted me to ask where I was or if anything had happened to me. I reckon I was all but dead to them, and so here was the perfect place for me. I had Jade as a surrogate sister now, and Maron as a new Mom, and the occasional visitor spoke to 'Juno' or 'Mrs. S' every now and again, but I never felt free. Even now, the feeling that I'm trapped is still there, but I'm learning to cope with it, to live a life like this. To-" Juliette didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as Neo closed the already small gap between them and practically threw herself onto the Maiden's lap for a hug. Juliette looked confused, but Jade shrugged and mouthed the words "Just go with it" to her, so the blonde did just that.

**No one deserves to live in complete solitude if they didn't willingly choose it. I have lived that life. I was trapped inside my house for nearly nine years of my life because of a disease I have called Differing Aura Glow Syndrome, and in that time, I learnt so much about myself, but I didn't know what real friendship was. I had my older brother, my two parents and the most important man in my life - my Uncle - by my side, but no friends. I thought I found my friends when I eventually left at seventeen, but it was only after I met them, have them leave me six years later and subsequently found my real friends in Team CFVY did I truly know that life can't be faced alone.**

She clasped the blonde's shoulders, forcing them to look dead into each other's eyes. Neo typed out one word on her Scroll, **'Repeat'** , before getting her to copy her actions and say the words after her. Neo knew she couldn't speak them out loud, but she could still mouth them.

Neo pointed to herself, a very simple action, and mouthed the word "I".

She balled her right fist in front of her, as if holding a cup. From there she yanked it backwards over her shoulder, all whilst mouthing the word "Refuse".

Next, the mute opened her hand, bent her middle finger and rubbed the tip of that finger up and down on the right side of her chest. "To live".

Finally, she pointed upwards with her right index finger at half an arm's reach away, then spun the hand around two times. "Alone".

**Now, repeat that out loud, and sign it back to me as well**

"I. Refuse. To live. Alone." With each action, she spoke their respective meaning. Neo grinned, gesturing to repeat it. "I. Refuse. To live. Alone." Neo gestured again. "I refuse to live alone."

{" _Louder,_ "} she signed.

"I refuse to live alone. I refuse to live alone!" The final time, she shouted it out so loud it hurt her voice, but she didn't care. Juliette glanced down at Neo and grinned. "Thank you," she panted, that last cry hurting and taking more out of her than she expected.

 **Jade's a good friend, I know she'll look after you.** Juliette looked up from the screen at the green haired girl in question, smiling as their eyes met.

"Yeah, she will." They both smiled at each other, and Neo grinned at the sight. The ice cream girl collected her Scroll and parasol, typing out one more thing for Jade before leaving.

 **Look out for her Jade. She hides her loneliness pretty well, but I still notice that look in her eyes. If I don't see you before, we'll see you tomorrow evening ;) x** The greenette started blushing, harshly whispering the woman's name to stop her from writing that again. Neo playfully winked and blew the younger woman a kiss before shattering into pieces and vanishing from the room.

"Mind telling me what that was about at the end?" Juliette enquired, her smile playful and eager to tease.

"I'm not saying a Dust damned thing."

"Why not? Embarrassed your best friend's going to find out your little secrets?"

"Don't you start." Try as she might, Jade couldn't keep the grin off her own face any longer, a sight that brought about a greater smile from the Maiden on the bed.


	41. Group "Bonding" Experience (no ropes, ties or ribbons though)

Byzantine eyes spotted the group of four heading towards her early the next morning, the fact there were only four of them throwing a slight curveball to the Receptionist, as was the fact they were in far more casual clothing that their regular combat attires.

"Good morning Team CFVYN."

"Mornin' Maron," Coco replied, a mug of coffee already in hand.

"Nice to see you all again. If you don't mind me asking, but where are Jade and your other teammate - I can never pronounce his name right - Yas-tu-hasi?"

"It's 'Yatsuhashi' Maron, though that was a new way I've heard it said. According to Neo, Jade went to go see Juno to catch up before heading to bed. As for the big guy, we had to return to Beacon Academy to get him medical attention after yesterday."

The brown haired woman looked slightly panicked by this news. "Oh dear, what happened?"

"We won't get into the nitty-gritty of it here, can we talk elsewhere?"

"Of course, meet me by the same room where we had our first briefing in about ten minutes, I've still got a little bit of paperwork to do beforehand." The quartet of students nodded and headed off as Maron continued her work.

As promised, ten minutes later Maron arrived to let them into the room.

"Right, sorry you had to wait. So tell me, what did happen to your teammate?" They looked amongst each other, nodded subtly about something the receptionist was unsure of. That was, until Coco spoke up.

"When we were up at the 'Summer Spirit' Spring, we noticed the Bio-Shields at the top of the waterfall."

Maron nodded. "Yes, we use Bio-Shields up there to stop anyone from falling over the edge of the waterfall and plummeting nearly 80 metres to their untimely death."

"Bio-Shields," Velvet countered, "are incredibly new technology, and are incredibly expensive to boot. Upkeep alone is worth tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Lien a year. Only a handful of places were given access to them on first launch, and in the list of those places come the four Huntsmen Academies. We know that Ozpin liaised with you about something, or some- _one_ , in the past couple of years. We would just like an honest answer from you." Maron glared at the four of them, who in turn were glaring back.

"I don't know where you got that information from, but I'd call this blackmailing. What would your Headmaster think of his best students resorting to such unsavoury tactics?"

"...Neo says, and I quote, 'Juliette told me everything'." Byzantine flew straight to meet pink and brown, and the owner of those multi-coloured eyes smirked, using her semblance to create the illusion that she was the Maiden in question. She held her hand out and created an illusion ball of electricity floating above her palm, and on seeing this Maron's skin paled.

The team leader reassured the panicked brunette. "We don't want anything from you Maron. This is not blackmail at all. We just want to hear it from the source what is actually going on here."

"..." The woman sat there, the revelation that others knew of the Maidens taking an immediate toll on her. "...No one should have known," she mumbled to herself, with only Velvet hearing her due to her enhanced hearing, "she... she isn't safe anymore."

"Yes she is." Heads turned to Velvet, who having heard the older woman rambling to herself. "Juliette can stay here. We want her to stay here, because she is safe. Knowing that the world we thought to be only fantasy and make believe exists is eye opening for sure, but that's another thing we'll keep to ourselves. We know why she's kept hidden away, and we aren't going to let her location be known. What's there to gain?"

"Velvs' right," Coco added, "as a team, we're not going to do anything that is going to put you, or Juliette, or anyone else in danger regarding the Maidens. Sure, we know about them and we weren't supposed to, but that's not going to leave this room. We promise that nothing shall leave the collective knowledge of Team CFVYN concerning any of this."

"If... if I have your word, then I suppose I would be foolish not to take it."

"Thank you Maron. Trust us when we say that." She nodded. "Thank you. Now, regarding Yatsuhashi, what happened was..."

* * *

"Don't you think that was a little harsh on her earlier?" Fox asked, changing into something far more comfortable than he had been in all day.

"Are you still on about that?" Coco shot back, the fashionista walking around in nothing more than her underwear and a deep chocolate brown knitted jumper.

"Yes Coco, I am still on about that. Maron has been nothing but supportive of us and what we've been doing for this entire mission, and for us to suddenly throw 'Hey there, we know about that big secret thing you're hiding from everyone!' at her isn't the best thing we could have done. Or even then, we could have done it a little better than we did."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Maron looked completely and utterly spaced out through the rest of the 'debrief' we had with her, I wouldn't exactly call that a resounding success." The caramel tipped woman rubbed the back of her head, the truth from her Mate coming to light in her mind.

"Yeah, when you put it like that..."

{" _It didn't click before now that what we did to her might not have been the best course of action?_ "}

"No, alright? I messed up."

"Well, the first step to realising you have a problem is to-"

"Fox, you are not helping this situation at all."

"Of course I am, I'm lightening the mood." The team leader rolled her eyes and was about to chastise him further before there was a rhythm of three knocks on the door. Everyone eased off as Coco went to the door, opening it up to reveal Jade standing there, dressed in a very casual pair of shorts and a simple blue t-shirt.

"Hey guys..."

"Evening Jade. You ready for this?" The greenette nodded hesitantly, shuffling her way into the room. Coco hanged a little 'Do not disturb!' sign on the outside of the door, then shut and locked it before joining everyone else.

"Before we start, does anyone want to lay down some personal ground rules?" Velvet was taking charge at this stage, something no one objected to. None of the present parties spoke up and that worried the Faunus slightly - not due to the lack of input from others, but rather the lack from Jade. "Jade, is there anything you don't want to do? Because now's really the time to say it."

Blushing at the idea, she timidly spoke. "Can... um... can no one go... near my... rear, please? I've not done this sort of thing and I... yeah..."

"Jade, it's fine, not everyone wants it. That's one for Jade: no bum fun." Jade's originally pink tinted cheeks flushed crimson at the casual nature in which the Adel spoke about the subject.

As no one else wanted to speak up, Velvet broke the silence. "Alright. So other than Jade's request, we appear to all be alright with everything else. I'll lay out the basics again for Jade, as she hasn't been in one of these before. First and foremost, everyone needs to have had plenty to eat and drink before attending. I know we have; Jade?"

"Breaded chicken breast with peas and sweet potato fries about an hour ago."

"You beat me to the punch," the Rabbit joked, "I was going to ask you what you had just to make sure. Good to hear. There's plenty of water around, just in case you get parched at all. Always ask before joining in, sharing is caring, give as well as receive; basic etiquette. Also, Fox-"

"I know, I got them all ready."

"Wait, Fox is _joining_ us? I thought it was just... girls."

"I am perfectly fine if you want me to leave Jade, you're in charge tonight."

Neon green eyes stared at him in confusion and disbelief as Coco explained. "See, as you were new to the idea, we voted unanimously to let you be the one in charge of the whole evening. Whilst you don't have a monopoly over us, you are always the one to set the pace, to call the shots. It gives you complete freedom over whoever you're with at that time, as others here might not want to stay where they are whilst you go off and do something. Failure to do, or abusing your power, has the title stripped from you. But it is well within your power to have people leave if you and the Host agree to."

"That... actually sounds pretty fun actually." Everyone, even Fox, grinned at that.

"Group Hug!" Fox pulled everyone into an embrace, but the smaller and furthest away managed to stay that way in the pile of bodies.

"Well Jade, are you ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Coco was currently giving the green haired woman a massage, relaxing her muscles and de-stressing the 23 year old after a strenuous past two hours.

"...lower ...a little bit... oh yeah, there it is" she moaned in ecstasy.

"Still moaning at my touch there, Jade?" the fashionista teased.

"Shut up, you're good at it and you know it."

"And which one are we referring to this time?" Jade didn't comment, honestly believing Coco was just naturally gifted with her hands, regardless of how they were used. The fashionista smirked, looking out to the rest of the group. Fox was currently cuddling with Velvet on the bed opposite and Neo was currently disposing of some evidence of their little get together in the toilet, sauntering back out and making her way over to Jade and Coco, stopping by her clothes to grab her Scroll.

**So did you enjoy yourself tonight Jade?**

"I really did. Thank you guys so much; I never would have thought something like this could have been so eye opening for me."

"Your welcome," Velvet called from across the room, with Fox giving a thumbs up as well.

"You know," Jade began, but decided against speaking out loud and gestured to Neo's Scroll, asking if she could use it. She was allowed and the greenette typed up the rest of her thought. **Fox and Velvet actually look really cute together right now**

 ****"Yeah," Coco whispered back, "Fox actually had a huge crush on her back when we started Beacon." Jade couldn't help but let out a low "aww" at that, seeing the two cuddling on the bed with smiles on both of their faces. Neo tapped Jade on the shoulder, then mimed drinking from a glass. "I'd love some more water, thank you."

"Me too Shortcake, if you wouldn't mind." Neo signed something to her, making Coco flip her off, which Neo signed something else in response to that. "I don't hear you complaining."

"You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to only knowing part of a conversation."

"Learn Sign Language then. I'm pretty sure this is Atlesian Sign Language, based on the fact Neo's from Atlas, and it's not too hard to pick up if you've got time, patience and the right teacher."

"I'll consider it, but I think I like it as things are now with us not knowing."

"Whatever you say. It does get a little tedious though, having to rely on a third party for Neo to communicate." Jade didn't consider her initially and started to blush at the thought.

"I didn't think of that. Sorry."

"Don't worry, you're not going to hear her complain about it." Coco's teasing was cut off by part of a glass of water was spilt over her. Brown eyes stared up at the obvious culprit, and sure enough saw Neo now holding one full and one partially empty glass of water, look of cheeky innocence plastered over her face. "Oh, you've done it now."

{" _You want to go then?_ "} the ice cream girl playfully threatened.

"You're on." Coco stood, squaring off against the much shorter Neo.

{" _Grab a towel, grab your shit, head next door. We've got a battle on our hands._ "}

"I won't lose to you."

{" _No, you'll be decimated, and begging me for more._ "} Coco smirked as they went to grab towels and a couple of toys that they'd used, then went to leave.

"We're just going to be next door," Coco informed the neon green eyed girl, "but only interrupt if the world's about to end. I'm taking the sign on the door." Jade acknowledged her with a hum and nod, then waited for the door to shut completely before getting up and walking over to the cuddling pair on the bed.

"They've done this before, haven't they?" Jade asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Yup," they both chimed.

"I thought so."

"Hey, want to join the sensible ones?" Velvet offered. Forgoing words, Jade simply nodded. Fox, being the one on the edge of the bed, jumped off to let Jade on, then re-joined the girls once she and Velvet were comfortable, gently sandwiching the green haired woman between the pair of them. "So you definitely enjoyed yourself, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, you were all kind and willing to tone it down with me, and for that I'm thankful."

"At the end of the day," Fox added, "we were doing this for you. What's now going on next door excluded, none of this has been for us mainly. The girls promised you they'd help relieve you any which way they could. They don't like going back on their word." Jade smiled, relaxing and letting the person either side of her hug in closer.

"You're really cosy to cuddle up against," Velvet mentioned after a few moments of silence.

"Velvet you only say that because you've got your hands around my boobs."

"...Was it really _that_ obvious?"

"You're losing your touch Velvs."

"Blame Coco, alright? This thing on our shoulders makes some of our partner's traits seep into one another, and clearly her outgoing nature and lack of subtlety have crept in." The trio giggled, then truly relaxed themselves and let exhaustion truly take over. The past four weeks had been incredibly hectic for all of them; dealing with Neo's disappearance, combatting Grimm on a regular basis here, fighting against the Akkorokamui on multiple occasions, learning of and about the Maidens; and in their collective mind's eye, this next week of nothing but relaxation was needed by all parties involved.

* * *

**{END OF ACT 3}**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Book Two in the bag!  
> Which means, Book Three's update is already going ahead and will hopefully be uploaded before my holiday

**Author's Note:**

> And Book Two is a Go Go!


End file.
